The Aradel andor Legolas Series
by IrishCream1010
Summary: This is a series concerning Aradel(my character) and Legolas. They both have adventures both seperate and together. I suck at summaries. AU
1. Dead Inside

Dead Inside  
  
It had been ten days since the incident. Ada seemed distant and scared but most of all angry. He was changed the moment he walked through the doors, eyes glazed and hurt, dragging his feet sorrowfully but it took ten days go fully sink in. He wouldn't tell us why he was so mortified and we didn't know until one of the servants found her body. Then we were all mortified. Then he really changed. Angry at me, at nanneth, at everything. He locked himself in his study for two days strait, snapping at everyone who even knocked on the Dogwood door. We thought he blamed himself for her death but we soon found out it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that at all.   
  
After two days he came out and the maliciousness began. He yelled at us, he didn't hit us but he came close many times. Soon he became much, much to over protective of us, me in particular. In the horribly evil way, he treated me as though I were the most disgusting he had ever laid eyes on. At first I was restricted to the courtyard, which I understood though I wasn't happy about it, I loved and cherished my freedom below very few things. A month later after getting angry at me for stepping out of bounds, and I do mean step, he grounded me to the house only and never let me out. He said I was unsafe and unworthy of freedom. Nanneth stood up for me once but then he started saying it only in private.   
  
I tried to be good but whatever I did made him angrier and angrier. He saw me looking out a window and putting hand out into the cool breeze of freedom one-day and started to yell at me as usual. He restricted me further, to only the floor my room was on and forbid anyone to come and keep me company. And absolutely no windows. My Ada was so paranoid that he actually blocked the windows with wooden covers. I began to ache for the cool breeze in my hair, the soft rain on my face. I longed for freedom again so much it hurt to breathe.   
  
One day I though it would be all right if I opened one of the covers just for a moment, on a rainy day. I wanted so much to feel it again. After all it was just a moment and Ada was all the way in the other side of the house. First I stuck out a hand, then the wind ripping at me like a ravenous dog I stuck out my entire head, caught up in the moment. Then I heard the soft thud of a boot on the marble floor. I froze and turned around slowly. It was my Ada.   
  
This time I decided that he might respect me a little if I said something in my defense. I was wrong. That was the day he hit me. The blow was more emotionally devastating then it was physically. I fell to the ground and held my cheek, I remember it so clearly. He sneered at me, sprawled helplessly on the floor pathetically, as though I were something disgusting and vile an orc had spit up. He turned on his heel and walked away, an evil chorus of laughter echoing through the empty hall, through my entire life. That was the day I stopped calling him Ada and started calling him father.  
  
For the first time in months I began to feel angry, a hatred I never knew could sprout within my depths and come out at someone I had once loved so dearly. Whenever I saw him looking at me, staring at me, glaring at me with a loathing that only he could produce, I felt that hatred well up inside me and I felt like killing or destroying. At first it scared me, scared me to the point of tears and I cried every night for shame that I hated my father so. I got over it in two days. The same amount of days it took him to hate me.   
  
To vent my anger I wrote, in common, which angered my father. That was the main point, he couldn't read common very easily and not knowing what I wrote drove him even more crazy then he already was. He did eventually figure out what I had written and for this he locked me in my room. I wouldn't go without a fight and he knew it so he drugged me, held a poisoned cloth to my mouth so it knocked me out for hours. While I was out he took my writing, my reading, blocked the window, and stripped my room of everything I loved or found in any way amusing or interesting. When I woke up I wasn't in the room I had always loved as a child. I was in hell.  
  
The next hundred years I spent sitting in my room wishing I was dead or he was. The only time I spoke to anyone at all was the once or twice my mother managed to sneak away from his guarding my door. She came in simply to talk to me about whatever I wanted, no pressure, no expectations. The only two times in that entire year I felt like I had half of an abusive life. She could only stay for a short time though and when she did I was left more depressed and angry at my father then before.   
  
Ultimately I was depressed to the extreme. All I did all day was sit on my bed and stare at the wall, or the floor. Sometimes, when I was in one of my happier moods, I would stand up every once and a while. When I was really depressed I would lay on my bed and stare at the blank ceiling all day and all night, I wouldn't sleep, eat, or move in any way. I was in a sort of trance and that was the happiest hundred years of my new, prisoner life, since I spent most of my time dreaming of other places.   
  
Then after that hundred years was over, one day I was in a good mood and went to the heavily boarded window. A bolt was loose so I tried carefully and silently to unhinge it. To my extreme happiness it came out and I saw outside again and it was the most beautiful site I had ever seen.   
  
The trees seemed to glow under the moonlight, sparkling and twinkling up at me. A light wind caressed the treetops and I opened the window to let it fill the room. I saw a few late night, teen-age stragglers trying feverishly to get home before their parents find out. They didn't realize how lucky they were.   
  
The air itself was enough to send me into hysterics but it was neither the time nor the place. Intoxicated by the long-anticipated night air and in a slightly delusional state I opened the window and silently crept out. I stood on the windowsill for only a second then jumped down and landed with a soft thud. A small twinge of pain shot up my leg but I didn't notice in my excitement nor did I notice as I shivered in the chill of night.   
  
Once I was out, in my pajamas if you want to know, the first thing I did was smile. For the first time in a hundred years I smiled and it felt foreign on my face but any movement felt foreign at the moment.   
  
I made my way to the forest, creeping behind bushes knowing that my father's room could see the entire kingdom and would most likely spot her if she didn't keep to the shadows. Once in the forest I was free and it felt good, almost to good. I didn't remember what freedom had felt like and I couldn't believe it was actually happening. My heart fluttered with every step, my mind whizzed with the prospect of doing anything I wanted. My breathing was heavier then it would normally have been, I was absolutely giddy.   
  
After a while I stumbled upon a small stream just to the east of the main city. A large root had been uprooted and was so far from the ground it was taller then me. It was accompanied by many others forming a kind of dome right there beside the river bend. The water sparkled in the moonlight and everything had a pale eerie glow that enticed my beyond belief.   
  
I slowly climbed the dome of roots and sat upon it watching the water flow, as if it were made of molten silver. Looking upward I noticed that this was a tree, like the ones I used to climb when I was an elfling and had had an ounce of dignity that wasn't harshly taken from me by my delusional father.   
  
A now free me stood up, then hopped up to the first branch with my hands, soft from a hundred years of sitting on my bed. I continued to climb up, as fast as I could and soon I was so high I could see the tops of the trees. How could I have ever been away from this beauty?   
  
From there I could see the border of the city where the youngster Haldir accompanied his father patrolling, keeping the Lord and Lady safe. If I looked the other way I could see the city just in front of the palace. A few women could be seen pinning their laundry to clotheslines for the night and some young boys chasing each other up and down the streets as their mother's yelled at them to go to bed. When the chase was over and they finally went inside my attention was drawn to the palace.   
  
A couple of candles were lit near the windows creating a soft glow. There was only one balcony on that side and as my eyes traveled over it I saw her. My mother was looking directly at me even from so far away, she was still an Elf and had Elf eyes. I should have known she would know, she always knows. And I should have remembered she was always at her mirror at this time of night, assuring that she would know I was out. I smiled in amusement as she stared at me, I knew she wouldn't tell father. I could hear her reassurance in my mind.   
  
After a moment of eye contact, she smiled, nodded approvingly and went inside as Celeborn entered the room. I turned away not wanting to see anymore, not that I could as the curtains were closed as a precaution. I sat for a long time, the exact time I don't know but I do know that I only realized that I had to go back when the horizon started to glow a pale pink.   
  
I practically jumped down the tree and ran back to the palace. Swiftly I scaled the intricately carved building. As I passed the last floor I realized that I had yet to go left more, contrary to my previous calculations and would have to go across a window even further risking my chances of getting caught. I tentatively tested my footing on an engraved leaf before trusting it with my full weight and lowered myself in front of the seemingly deserted window.   
  
A light flickered inside; startling me so I jumped over to the next window which had a balcony. Silently I hopped down and rested for a moment, sticking to the sides so there was very little chance anyone would see me. Then I saw another light flicker and voices erupted angrily from the door. I leapt easily back off the balcony and clung to the side of the house but stayed to listen out of pure curiosity.   
  
"Where did she go?!" the first voice bellowed, deep and furious, "I know you know! You seen all in your mirror so don't tell me you don't know!"   
  
She sighed inwardly, of course it had to be father. He was pacing and clenching his fists, ready to throw something across the room if need be, this was depicted in the shadows cast by the candlelight.   
  
"I told you I don't know. The mirror shows only what I want to see or know not what teenaged Elves are doing at night!" a woman's voice echoed, obviously Galadriel. I smiled to myself because I was glad it was causing father so much distress.   
  
"Fine if you won't tell me I'll have to go back to her room and look for evidence which means going through absolutely everything, not that there's that much to look through. I'll send out the guards. Kalien! Stivaen!" he called and immediately there were two guards in the room. He ordered them to search all of Lorien for me. I chuckled then, maybe a bit too loud but he didn't hear me.   
  
"She needs her freedom, Celeborn, and who are you to take it from her?" Galadriel exclaimed helplessly, which was a big deal. The last time she felt helpless something very, very bad happened.   
  
"I am her Ada, whether she likes it or not!" he yelled for all of Lothlorien to hear through the open sliding glass door, "Until I see fit she is my property, I own her, no one can set her free but me. Right now all she is convincing me of is that she is a stupid, arrogant, disobedient elfling that can do nothing but destroy and eat away at all that is good and true."   
  
For a moment she was speechless. "You don't own her, nor do I. Whether you like it or not she will have her freedom and if it means stabbing you in the back, figuratively or literally though I would prefer figuratively, I'm sure that won't stop her!" Leaving her husband to dwell on that she left the room with her white dress swishing behind her and slammed that door.   
  
And he did indeed dwell on that for a moment but quickly recovered and followed her out the door slamming twice as hard and headed for my room. Quickly I made my way to my room, which was only one window over. By the time I had gotten in, put the board back up, I had just enough time to hide under my bed before dad violently opened the door so that it knocked against the wall and bounced back a little.   
  
"Where are you?!" he asked to himself in a soft malicious voice. Then he started to scour the room, over turning the mattress and blankets, and even tapping the floorboards to make sure I wasn't hiding under them. Note to self, rip up floor boards and hide stuff under them.   
  
Nervously I watched his booted feet pace back and forth looking in ever took and cranny for me. Of course he would never think to look somewhere so simple as under the bed. Soon I heard him stomp out and slam the door to join the guards in their search for me.   
  
I emerged from under the bed, covered in dust and smiling. After dusting off my clothes I laid on my bed and milled over all the events of that day. I had escaped from my prison and gain my sanity once again. I had smelt the fresh, sharp night air and felt the soft forest floor against my bare feet. I felt the friction of bark against my hands and gazed upon the city over the treetops. Then for the grand finale I had avoided my father's growing malice. That moment was the most liberating moment of my entire life to date.   
  
The harsh opening of my door interrupted my musings and I saw my father once again, eyes wide and bloodshot, hair a mess with fly-aways. "Where in Valar were you?" he breathed threateningly.   
  
I raised a confused eyebrow and put my hands behind my head to support it so I could look him eye to eye, "Why sitting right here, father, thinking about all the ways I've disappointed you through the years."   
  
"As you should have been but no you were out in the forest." He strode over to me and put his face alarmingly close to mine in an intimidating way. "Weren't you? You treacherous little snake!"   
  
At this I stood up in my own defense and he raised a hand to strike me in the face. But to his immense surprise before contact could be established I grabbed his wrist. He started to try and say something but was cut short by my surprisingly strong grip, hurting him quite a bit. Mercifully I let go.   
  
"Get ready, Celeborn," I said with a dark look. "for the worst days of your life, for they are in the near future."   
  
And thus what I called the rebel stage of my life, which lasted a very long time and remains in effect to this day, began.   
  
The End 


	2. Vicious Relations

Disclaimer:I own nothing. Except for Aradel. And the two gaurds and few items in my room. Nehoo plz review! crys no really im ok.  
  
Summary:A little clash between father and daughter results in a little more then yelling and grounding.  
  
Vicious Relations  
  
The fair Elven woman paced in between the square gardens lazily on a cool spring evening. She was wearing a hunting tunic she had stolen from one of the guards and dyed black. Before she had snuck into the kitchens and stole a good amount of pasta, dried it in sticks, and was now sucking on one. Her name was Aradel, daughter of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.  
  
Her mother had always been kind to her, letting her go out riding with her favorite horse, wonder through the forest and wear whatever she wanted. Of course that was only when her father wasn't home. Then she had no freedom, no rights, just her room. At first it had only been the grounds, then just the palace then finally she was confided in her room whenever he was home. And of course her mother never told her father, that would be disastrous and the punishments would be severe.   
  
A deep voice from behind her yelled very loudly interrupting her thoughts. "Aradel! What in the Valar's name are you doing?! Get back in your room the instant!" Lord Celeborn, who was obviously outraged that she was in his private gardens, had walked by and noticed her lounging around whilst she was supposed to be in her room. As always.   
  
She smiled briefly in amusement but changed it to a smug frown sort of expression. She cocked her head to one side and replied calmly, "Nah, I like it out here, I think I'll stay for a while longer."  
  
His face turned a deep shade of red and he stepped towards her intimidatingly, though she was used to it as she got in trouble almost twice an hour for wondering the hall or something of the like.  
  
"Go to your room right now or you will never see the light of day again!" he yelled pointing a finger up in the general direction of her Lord and Lady's treehouse set on the largest tree for miles around. Her room was the one closest to the trunk and therefor was the hardest to sneak out of.   
  
"I said no. I'm not an elfling anymore, dad." She replied keeping her anger in check for just a little longer to get a huge blowout from him. Elvish children traditionally called their parents by their elvish names, Nanneth or Ada, and the common names were considered disrespectful.   
  
He stared disbelieving for a moment then turned swiftly on his heel and stormed out. Aradel smirked, quite satisfied with herself and stood there for a moment or two. Just as she was about to turn and continue to wonder her father returned, this time followed by two guards.   
  
"Seize her and take her to the dungeon." He commanded forcefully.   
  
They hesitated unsure whether to disobey their King or harm their princess. She stood awaiting their move knowing full well that she could take them both on even unarmed.   
  
"Sir, you are aware this is your daughter?" one of them asked uncertainly, coincidentally the one standing just out of reach of the Kings slapping hand.   
  
"Of course I'm aware of that! I'm not blind. But apparently you are deaf I said seize her." He glared at him incriminatingly. He nodded sheepishly and both stepped forward. She swallowed the spaghetti she had been chewing earlier and readied herself.  
  
"And, my Lord, you are aware we have no dungeons?" the second asked nervously stepping back a little.   
  
"Of course I'm aware of that, I meant her room you imbeciles, now seize her!" he pointed his finger in her direction. She narrowed her eyes at him just before the guards attacked.   
  
They both lunged at her at the same time but she dodged easily and leisurely. One tried to grab her arm but she took his wrist and twisted his arm until there was a painful cracking sound. He howled in pain and back up cradling his now broken arm in his other one. The second guard took advantage of her turned back and grabbed her shoulder. Quickly she grasped the unlucky hand and expertly flipped him over her head onto the hard concrete ground. He winced and lay there arching his back trying to make the sharp pain running up and down his spin and head stop. The first guard no tried to stab her in the arm with his blade but she evaded it easily and kicked it out of his hand, high into the air. A few seconds later it landed perfectly in her hand. She brandished it in front of him as thought daring him to try and attack again.   
  
He glanced toward Celeborn. "I'm sorry sir." He whimpered bluntly backing away and bowing to both members of the royal family.   
  
She smirked and stuck the tip of blade into a crack in the cement tiles to lean on with one elbow. Celeborn looked ready to explode on many different levels and magnitudes. His face was beet red, his eyes were wider than the full moon on a clear night, and a vain was popping out of his neck making him look like a lunatic. Galadriel and a few of the maids, hearing the immense commotion, had come to the entrance of the garden and watched the last bit of the fight.   
  
"Fine go, turn around and just go into the forest and never come back. Go ahead you have my permission, as long as you never come back." He hissed waving his hands in surrender.   
  
"Why thank you father dearest. You've finally done something good for me." The rebellious female elf said scornfully, rubbing her sweet victory in his face. She turned quickly and started to walk slowly and mockingly east towards the forest.   
  
Before Aradel could do anything she was hit by the blunt end of one of the guard's swords, right in the little soft spot just next to her spinal cord, causing her to fall to the grounds unconscious.  
  
"Now get her, put her in her room and lock the door. Make sure there is nothing in the room that she could use to escape." He said calmly to the one guard still on his feet. He gently pulled her up by the arms and dragged her roughly to the room and did as his Lord had instructed. It was sad because he really liked that girl but she had been locked in her room for years now. She snuck out at ever opportunity of course and sparing no one of her great fighting skills.   
  
Back down in the gardens Galadriel was now approaching her husband carefully. "That really wasn't necessary." She told him disapprovingly.   
  
"I know it wasn't but that was her choice. She could have made it easier and just gone to her room, or better yet not snuck out at all and respected my wishes. But no! She insists on making life difficult." He replied turning to her and his face loosing it's reddened colour quickly.   
  
"You've made it harder on her, she has no choice but to rebel. In the past three hundred years you have changed so much. She just wants her father back, not that insane guard treating her like an animal that shouldn't be let out. You don't let her see any friends or any Elves at all, she sees no one but who she sees in her dreams. That room must be starting to feel very small. It must have started looking small in the first two hours and you expect her to stay there the rest of her life? That's unreasonable. What happened to Celebrian was not her fault, nor yours, you don't need to protect her like this." She said slowly and clearly so that he would hear ever word and realize it's importance.   
  
"She is a wild animal and if she isn't kept who knows what trouble she might get herself into? I have no doubt she would put countless others in danger. Not to mention herself." He replied quickly and defensively.   
  
"You may think that by locking her in her room you'll only have to deal with the loss of one daughter gone on to another world, better than this. In truth, you keep her like this and you will have to deal with that and one daughter who hates you beyond hate and that is ten times worse for any parent. Do something now." She said softly, lightly touching his face for comfort.   
  
He pulled away viscously and stepped back. "I keep telling you she's dangerous. And she won't hate me one day she'll think I'm the best Ada in all of middle earth and she will hate herself for being like that. One day she will realize that all this is preparing her for the real world."   
  
She stepped away from his dreamy, psychotic face. "You keep treating her like this and you will have to face the real world alone. I love my daughter and will protect her and see her even if it means leaving you." She turned and left her white dress billowing behind her.   
  
He just stood and stared. She didn't mean it right? She couldn't mean it. How could she leave him for that stupid, ignorant, little brat? He shook it off and walked into the house for a very uncomfortable dinner. In the morning he had forgotten about everything and awoke as cheery as he got. Which wasn't very cheery at all.  
  
The End  
  
Authors Note:Ok so this is part of a series so not all of it will make sense. In fact this isn't even the first one but next week. I am posting weekly just to let u kno.I like reviewshint hint Aradel is really old, ok, older then most elves and probably older then her father but that will be explained later. plz review. 


	3. Grounded

Disclaimer:I dont one nothing! Which is actually gramatically correct becuz I do own Galathil and Nacumirus. Not to mention a pack of cards my bed some books and a computer. Anyhoo as i said I dont own nothing.   
  
Summery:Legolas is having some trouble with his brother gets grounded and isn't happy about it. Not my funniest works but watcha gonna do? Well enjoy:D   
  
Grounded  
  
"Legolas!" Thranduil yelled as he strode onto the archery field. Legolas winced as he recognized the voice just behind him.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, Ada, how long have you been there?" he asked with a weak innocent smile.   
  
Legolas had been practicing in the archery field for hours on end. He loved it and did it all day every day if there was nothing to do. Of course usually there were many things for the middle prince of the family to do. He had been having fun until his little brother, Galathil, had come and started to pull on his tunic. Legolas got annoyed and told his little brother to go away but instead of going back to the palace or the gardens he had ran in front of the target beside Legolas and started to taunt him with irritating screams and high pitched singing. So, just to startle him into shutting up, he shot a warning arrow to the target Galathil was dancing in front of. He had missed his little brother by a mile but he had screamed like bloody murder anyway.   
  
The Lord of Mirkwood shook his head. "Legolas, do you really think me that ignorant. I watched you scare your brother like that and how dare you."   
  
Legolas lowered his blue eyes in disgrace, he really hadn't meant to scare him that much just startle him. "I'm sorry, Ada. He was being arrogant and obnoxious, I just wanted him to shut his big mouth." He said quietly.   
  
"That's no excuse! I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ban you from the fields and ground you to your room. I know it seems harsh but you almost shot your brother for Valar's sake. And don't give me that look, I know Galathil was wrong as well. He will be punished too, now go to your room immediately, I will call you for dinner when it's time." Thranduil said sternly pointing a prudent finger towards the palace.  
  
The young prince nodded his golden head sadly and started for the large white building passing Galathil, who stuck out his tongue childishly.   
  
Legolas glared at him and bent down to whisper threateningly in his ear. "You know, you have to sleep sometime."   
  
Then he got up and walked angrily up the steps and through the halls. His fingers grazed the elegantly decorated with gold, silver, and various white jewels, absent-mindedly his eyes dropping. Painting of past kings and famous elves adorn the white marble walls as he went up several more staircases and down a few more halls to his room.  
  
Tiredly he swung the door open and shut it behind him. The walls were pale green, as was everything else in his room, though he was dead tired of the colour. The bright afternoon sun shone beautifully threw the window on the left wall, just above the desk where he kept his studies and leisure writing. His reflection in the full length mirror on the wall opposite the door stared at him mockingly as if to say 'Oh, great, your grounded again. Good job, bucko.'   
  
He lazily walked over to the bed and flopped onto the pale green linen four poster bed and rested his sore neck on the fluffy pillows. He lay there for what seemed like a long time waiting for darkness to come, but fell asleep from exhaustion after only a few minutes.   
  
When he awoke, hours later, darkness had enveloped the room and his eyes took a moment to adjust. Blinking to revive his vision Legolas got out of bed and opened his door a crack and looked down the hall towards his father's bedroom. The door was closed, the coast was clear. He closed the door carefully and without a sound and crept to the window. He didn't dare walk the halls in the night, for his father's sensitive ears would surely hear him.   
  
He picked up his twin Elven daggers and strapped them to his back, unusual, yes but it's easier to move. Slowly he opened the window and swung his leg over to the alarmingly thin edge that ran around the whole palace. The cool wind blew golden tendrils into his fair face as he lightly places his foot on the ledge, slippery from dew. It was secure so he swung his other leg over the windowsill and he was now all the way out of his room.   
  
The wind picked up and almost blew his balance off but his elvish senses took care of that. He turned without hesitation he turned on his heel and walked a little while and around a corner. He took hold of a thick branch from an Elm tree and set his feet on the thinner branch just below it. Easily, he hopped down and hit the ground with a soft thud but what he hadn't anticipated was the loose harness on the holster for his dagger. He hadn't anticipated the large flat rock placed on the ground earlier that day by his older brother Nacumirus, for a science experiment in his studies. He hadn't anticipated the dagger falling to the ground, he hadn't anticipated the extremely loud clanging noise it made on the large flat rock and how it echoed up and around the corner to his fathers room.   
  
Thranduil's head peeked out of his window seconds after and his eyes widened with shock. "Legolas what do you think you are doing?! Get in right now and if you please don't use the window!" he yelled furiously, waking half of the Mirkwood Realm.   
  
Sighing with frustration he turned and as slowly as he could walked around to the front and made to go up the stairs. However, he was stopped by a voice behind him, his fathers, inviting him to the living room. He followed, wringing his hands nervously. In actuality he was not so much nervous but terrified. Thranduil was normally a wonderful, kind father but when the circumstances came about his wrath was definitely something to fear.   
  
Legolas sat on the cushioned bench across from where he assumed his father would be sitting. Thranduil however, stood, then paced retracing his steps over and over until he finally stopped and looked strait into his middle son's eyes.   
  
He could only say one word through his fury. "Why?"   
  
Legolas would have far preferred his father to yell and scream at him to this disappointed and sorry tone. It took all his energy to stop from wincing, yet again. "To be perfectly honest, Ada, I hate my room. I wanted out and I had no self-control .I know it was wrong. You may punish me now." He hung his head and rested it on his hands, which were covered with bits of bark and dirt.   
  
"I put you in your room for a reason, ion-nin. I am perfectly aware that you hate your room and I do not like putting you in there but when you misbehave the only way to teach you is to punish. And I cannot punish if you are sneaking out at night. You are normally a wonderful child, I don't understand why you have been acting out lately." He sat and clapped his hands together waiting for what kind of response he would receive.   
  
He paused then raised his head again. "I don't know. I just want to see more of the world, I have never been out of Mirkwood, Ada, I have never been more that a mile from the palace and I don't like it. I don't mean I don't like it here, I just want to see more, more of the world, meet people other then the people I grew up with. I feel that to do that I need to break rules, I suppose. I'm sorry, Ada, I just crave freedom." He lowered his head again and closed his eyes, sure that now his father would start to yell if not from his words then from his naive tone. He didn't quite mean for it to come out so whiny but it did and it was over now.   
  
But far from what the middle prince had expected the King started to laugh, almost hysterically. Legolas looked up and stared uncertainly at his chuckling father.   
  
"I'm sorry, Legolas, but that was the exact answer I gave my father the last time I tried to sneak out." He wiped a tear from his eye as Legolas, too started to laugh a little. "I suppose I can understand your situation. You still going to be punished of course, quite severely but just know I do understand. No archery for a month, no swords lessons for a month, and no doing anything particularly entertaining for a month unless you find chores, and your studies fun."  
  
"Yes, Ada, thank you. May I go to bed now I'm very tired." He asked carefully eyeing the king across from him who had just stood up.   
  
"Yes, yes, you may go but if I find you have been sneaking out the punishments will be far from nice and you shall wish you had never been born." He dismissed his son with the wave of his hand and Legolas bounded out of the room and up to his room.  
  
He quickly got dressed in his nightclothes and jumped into bed eager for sleep. 'Another just wonderful day in the life of prince Legolas' was his only, just slightly sarcastic thought before drifting off into peaceful slumber.  
  
The End  
  
Authors Note:I kno i said it would be a week but i felt like it so there! :P So this was obviously a Legolas fic and next week i should have one with him and Aradel together. If u hav ne suggestions they r totally welcome so review plz!  
  
Elsa:Glad u liked it!:D  
  
Mistopurr:Yes, yes she does, lol. She's definatly the rebel kinda girl ;) 


	4. A Day in the Kitchens

Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at chapter one at the beep. Beep!  
  
Summary:Someone finally learns how to cook and the outcome is disastrus. And i'm not just talking about the food.   
  
A Day in the Kitchens  
  
"Why, Legolas, why did you have to volunteer?" Aradel asked in a whiny voice as she watched him put the toddler in his highchair.   
  
"Because I am a good citizen and like to help people. That's why." He replied edgily, wrapping a bib around the Elfling's neck.   
  
He had been walking alone around the city and seen a mother, who's husband was at war, struggling with three young children. So, being the wonderful, polite prince that he is, offered to take care of the eldest one. Being only 450 this was not an easy task.   
  
"Can't we just lock him in the dungeons and go to the gorge?" she asked jokingly leaning against the wall. He just stared at her in disbelief while little Saelbeth grabbed his hair and started to pull happily. "Oh, are you really that dumb, I was joking."  
  
"I certainly hope so. You know, your terrible with children every time you come near he starts to cry." She raised an eyebrow and took a step towards them. Nothing happened so she walked casually up to the high chair and smiled down at the innocent little toddler.   
  
He immediately started bawling hysterically, flailing his arms and legs wildly.   
  
"Great look what you made him do." Legolas scolded her as she retreated back to lean against the wall rolling her eyes. "You could at least help a little."  
  
"Where'd you learn to deal with little kids anyway?" she asked ignoring his plea for help.   
  
"When Galathil was born and Ada was out I had to take care of him with Nacumirus. Of course he usually did the sitting around on the couch drinking wine and reading while I did the whole taking care of Galathil part." He grumbled trying to get little Saelbeth to eat his mashed up peas.   
  
"So, where is your Ada again?"   
  
"I told you about a million times, he's in Rivendale in a meeting with Lord Elrond." He replied wiping a small amount of mashed peas from his face, which by the way had a very dark look on it, with a cloth.   
  
"Ah, yes. I like Rivendale it's very friendly. Not to mention Elladan and Elrohir are just hilarious. Once when I was visiting there-" she began but was cut off by Legolas standing and looking at her with a look that could kill an Oliphant.  
  
"Aradel, I would love nothing more then to hear about your stupid, meaningless, adventures with those two twins but I have a small child in my care and I need to make sure he doesn't die. I asked you to help but you didn't listen now the least you could do is make me dinner so that I can tend to Saelbeth." With that he plopped back down in his seat and began feeding the infant again.   
  
Behind his back Aradel stuck our her tongue at him for a brief moment then replied, "I can't cook."   
  
"You're just making that up. Now go!" in his highly irritable and angry state she could find no way around it so she went to the kitchen with her feet dragging beneath her.   
  
"Stupid stuck up Legolas, thinks he can boss me around." The disgruntled woman muttered to herself as she picked out some ingredients from the cupboards. "I told him I can't cook but does he ever listen to me? No."   
  
From the random items she had picked she decided it best to make soup. After throwing all the ingredients into a large pot, lighting the fire, and mounting the pot above the fire and adding the chicken stock she put on the lid and let it sit for ten minutes. Then she checked to see if it was hot and looked anything like soup, which it did luckily, she uncertainly poured it into a bowl.   
  
"It's ready, come and get it!" she called into the other room.   
  
"Well I'm not, cover it and stick it somewhere. I'll eat it later." He called back. She narrowed her eyes and put a plate on top of the bowl to keep it warm and stuck it in the oven for insulation.   
  
Satisfied and quite proud of herself she went to join him in the dinning room but found that he had gone to answer the door. She hadn't heard it because the kitchen is sound proofed and hermetically sealed so nothing that happened to be getting freshly slaughtered for dinner would get out or be heard.   
  
After a long time he returned with no Saelbeth in his arms. "That was his mother." He explained seeing the curious look on her face. "What's for dinner?"   
  
"Soup." She replied blandly pointing to the kitchen door. He went to retrieve it and came back to sit at the table. He removed the top and made a disgusted face.   
  
"It tastes better then it smells. Don't you trust me?" she added innocently seeing his skeptic face and raised eyebrow.   
  
"No." he muttered before dipping his spoon into the reddish brown liquid and sipping it. He made another face, put his spoon down, and pushed it as far away as possible from him.   
  
"There's no need to look so revolted."  
  
"Oh, yes there is. Have you even tried this, it tastes like something I scraped off of my boot." He said eyeing it as though it would jump up and attack him.   
  
"So you taste things you scrape off your boot?" she wondered aloud.   
  
"No."  
  
"Then how do you know what it would taste like and therefor compare it to my masterpiece here." She informed him nodding her head towards the bowl.   
  
He shook his head. "Tomorrow I'm teaching you to cook. Be up at sunrise, we're starting early."   
  
"You know I won't be."  
  
"Yes." He replied mock sadly. After he got up he edged his way around a twenty-foot parameter around the bowl into the kitchen to make himself something edible.   
  
The next day  
  
Aradel trudged down the stairs, lazily dragging her feet. Why did Legolas have to wake her up and the crack of dawn? They had all day. Then again he had always been like that, get things over with as quickly as possible. Later she would have to get him back, she would think of something while he was giving instructions.   
  
Now he was dragging her by the wrist down the hall to the kitchens to make sure she didn't make a break for it through the entrance they had to pass. After he shoved her roughly through the kitchen doors and closed them, making sure they were locked securely, took his position just in front of the fireplace.   
  
"I'm not going to try and escape you know." She told him bluntly. "I do want to learn how to cook."   
  
"Good I believe you. But I'm still not unlocking the doors, you've fooled me to many times for me to do that." He said giving her a determined look. "Now, shut up and pay attention."   
  
She sighed and looked annoyed but listened all the same. "Good, now first we have to go over safety rules and regulations." From there he launched into a long, tedious lecture about washing your hands before you handle any food, making sure your hair is tied back so it doesn't get in the food, and making sure that when you're around the flame you don't wear baggy clothes, like hers, and so on and so forth.   
  
When he was finally finished and Aradel's glazed eyes came back into focus informed her that today they were going to make a less disgusting soup.   
  
"I believe we have some chicken stock in the refrigerator. Go get it and pour it into a large pot, we keep them in the cupboard just beside the refrigerator." So reluctantly Aradel trudged over to the rectangular, stone box that lay against the wall farthest from the door and opened the aluminum door with a creek from the hinges. There was a compartment at the back that held dry ice frozen ever three days and the cold air worked its way in through slits carved into the stone.   
  
When she got that out and placed in on the counter, receiving reproachful looks from Legolas, she crouched down and opened the cupboard pulling out a large pot, which she hung from the spit above the fireplace. She then lit the fire beneath the pot and dumped the stock into it.  
  
"Now get the vegetables and chop them into half inch cubes." Legolas instructed sternly.   
  
She sneered but did as he said taking the kitchen knife from its block and sweeping it through the air coincidentally close to the back of his head. Indignantly she started to chop carrots, celery, onions, and some tyme. Before she was finished she had mutilated an onion, destroyed the tyme, done a horrible job with the celery and sent the carrot flying halfway across the room whilst trying to peel it.   
  
While she was doing that Legolas was checking the fire.   
  
"You didn't put enough wood in." he told her looking down at the glowing embers that were the only remains of the fire. "It's burnt out."   
  
She glanced over his way. "That's all the wood that was there. The rest must be outside because I sure don't know where it is."   
  
He sighed and took the knife from her cramped hands. "I'll continue with this, since you seem to have gotten the knack for it, you go and get some more wood. But make absolutely sure you get the oak wood and not the willow wood. Got it."   
  
She nodded half-heatedly and made for the door. As she got outside in the cool crisp air, rounded the corner and walked a ways from the building she spotted a woodpile stacked like a poorly constructed pyramid. As she was about to bend down the pick a couple of logs up a swift movement caught her eye. With a second look she saw it was a raccoon. Smiling she stepped over the pile and put her hand out for it to sniff.   
  
Instead of sniffing her hand it bit it. Or almost did but her reflexes were to quick and she pulled away. She shooed it away and proceeded to narrow her eyes while she picked up five pieces of wood and violently started to kick one that fell out of her arms.   
  
Once she walked into the kitchen again to see Legolas waiting impatiently, with his arms crossed and his foot tapping the stone floor. Upon seeing him Aradel rolled her eyes and told him, "Would you please stop acting like my mother."   
  
His eyes snapped into attention and he stopped tapping his foot. "OK, what was her name again?" he asked casually.   
  
"That is the saddest attempt at trying to get me to tell you something that you have yet to attempt." She replied.   
  
"Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Put the wood on the fire and light it, you'd better put all of it on if we want this done by midday." He said carefully watching her.   
  
She bent down and placed the wood on the white ash and black coal then reached for the rock and flint that were previously set aside. When she did, though, she knocked over a pitcher of water. It went unnoticed by Legolas so she replaced it and went on with her business. She clashed them together once, twice, thrice and a spark ignited the wood.   
  
What she hadn't anticipated was that the supposed water was in actuality oil for the oven, which required a bigger flame. So when the flame ignited, it more exploded, with a surprisingly loud "poof". The blonde haired elf whipped around and whimpered in surprise.   
  
"What did you do?!" he yelled over the crackling of the flame.   
  
"I like the valar forsaken wood, just like you told me to!" she cried stumbling back and falling backwards.   
  
"Ai, Elebereth." He muttered while he ran to get a bucket of water from the other side of the room. He ran back and threw the water on the fire but it only made a flare. And that flare caught on the oil that had dripped from the pitcher before hand. From there the fire spread all over the counter. Smoke filled the room and wafted towards the door.  
  
"Oh, my god, your father is going to kill you!" Aradel said with wide eyes.   
  
"If I go down I'm bringing you with me!" he screamed back. The prince of Mirkwood was starting to panic just a little bit. Suddenly Aradel shot up ran to get some water and came back with two buckets in each hand. She handed one to Legolas and on the count of three they both threw and it landed on the majority of the flame putting most of it out. After two more runs the fire was out and the two friends slumped down against the wall.   
  
"Do you think he'll notice?" Legolas asked dryly, looking at the charred countertop.   
  
"Looks like someone's soaking up some of my sarcastic humour." She replied bluntly. "We'd better turn ourselves in, maybe we'll get off a little easier if we show some responsibility."   
  
So gravely, as if marching to their own funerals, they went to Thranduil's study. But when they arrived he wasn't there so thinking he must be in the library catching up on some reading they checked there. He wasn't there either. On their way to the gardens where Thranduil might have taken a book to read they encountered Nacumirus. He told them that the Elven King was in the kitchen preparing lunch for himself. Every once and while he would make something himself other then have servants do it just to make sure he could still cook. At that they groaned in union and raced to catch him hopefully before he reached the kitchen.   
  
When they burst through the door they found Thranduil in the middle staring at the countertop with wide eyes. Hearing the two come in he turned slowly to face his son. "Legolas, did you do this?" he asked slowly and calmly.   
  
"Ada, I can explain. You see-" He began but was interrupted by his father's hand being put up to stop him.   
  
"No explanation is needed." A smile broke on his face. "It's brilliant, I love it!"   
  
They stared at him in disbelief. He wasn't furious, he wasn't angry. In fact he seemed ecstatic. This was the luckiest day ever.  
  
"After all the white and silver and bright colours we have put into the stone walls of this palace a black kitchen would be a nice change." He glanced around fondly. "Smooth this side out and you can start on the other tomorrow. For you now you both will get a reward for your charity." He grinned happily at the two of them.   
  
Aradel and Legolas exchanged glances, smiled widely, and nodded in agreement. And they thought they would be punished severely, grounded, or even put in the dungeons. And now they were getting rewarded with Valar knows what. Thranduil couldn't have picked a better day to go crazy in their opinion.   
  
The End  
  
A/N: Pretty short one I guess. By the way most of my stories concerning Legolas depict him lazing about doing nothing. This is when he's finished all his princing chores and such, he does have them I just don't tell about them because i have no idea what princes do. Understood? Understood. Excellent so no more complaining about that. Next one should be up in about five minutes, hope i can wait all that long. Nehoo, bye-bye!:D 


	5. The Truth About Legolas' Mother

Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at chapter one at the beep. Beep!  
  
Summary: We finally find out what really happened to Legolas' dear old mommy.   
  
The Truth About Legolas' Mother  
  
The sun was shining; hot and harsh on their necks as they notched their bows with sharp arrows aiming at the far targets earlier set up. Both Aradel and Legolas threw discouraging comments at the other in hopes of distracting the other. Luckily for Aradel Legolas was distracted on the second draw by Galathil skipping right in front of him. Of course his older brother felt obliged to aim directly for him and chase after him when he ran to tell Thranduil then pin him down and make him swear he wouldn't tell. He'd already gotten grounded for that once before.   
  
"Will you shoot!" Aradel scolded in his ear while he was aiming making him jump just as he let go of the arrow. She laughed when it went about a foot over the target.   
  
She took a deep breath and notched her arrow. Aiming carefully and making sure to take the wind resistance into account. Just as she was about to let fly her companions hand lowered her bow. Her shoulders dropped, "What is it now?"   
  
"I get a redo, that one was completely your fault!" he said loudly.   
  
"No! It's not my fault you can't shoot under pressure." She retorted as-a-matter-of-factly.   
  
"That's not pressure that's reflexes and I get a redo!" He notched his bow and aimed.   
  
"Why are we even doing this we've already practiced for the day." She noticed bluntly, quirking an eyebrow.   
  
He stopped and lowered his own bow. "You are right, let's go inside. It's hot out." So they packed up and started to walk towards the stone palace. As they were walking Nacumirus popped up out of no where just behind them.   
  
"I miss Nanneth." He said bluntly before running off far ahead of them.   
  
"That is one weird Elf." Aradel remarked watching his back getting smaller and smaller. Her quiver of arrows was strapped across her chest resting on her back and her bow was swung in a similar manner, as were Legolas' things.   
  
He nodded in agreement. "Yes, once we found him huddled in the fetal position in the corner of his room rocking back and forth. When we asked him what was wrong he said the teddy bears were after him. What's a teddy bear?"   
  
"I've no idea."   
  
"But he does have a point. We all miss Nanneth, ever since she went away. Galathil cries at night. Nacumirus doesn't show any sign of emotion, as usually but I know he's missing her as much as the rest of us. Ada's acting pretty much as normal I suppose but as with Nacumirus he's hurting as well." He sighed glancing around, doggedly for no apparent reason, looking a bit like a robin as he did so.   
  
She looked at him and shook her head. "I find it disturbing that you are the most normal of you three. As for your mother, I don't know what to say so let's not talk about it please." He chuckled and nodded slowly.   
  
So they talked about something else as they entered the stone palace. After depositing their weaponry in their rooms the duo wandered the halls and grounds talking about bunnies and pretty green plants. How bunnies would grill up nicely in a nice red wine sauce and how it was funny the pretty green plants can cause extreme discomfort or if ingested kill you despite the fact it's pretty and seems harmless. They really did have positive attitudes. Right.   
  
As they entered the main hall for the second time after roaming the edge of the forest and pacing in between rows of flowers and trees that were in the grounds of the castle Nacumirus bolted right in front of them, golden hair waving crazily behind him.   
  
"Hey! Yea, you!" Legolas called after him. He stopped and backtracked to face them "Where are you off to in such a hurry? Is something on fire? Again?"   
  
"No, no, no, no, no! Ada's just called a family meeting in the lounge, didn't you hear the bells. I'm so excited I wonder what he's going to say. Maybe he's going to give us sweets!" he replied zealously, a demented glint in his normally sharp blue eyes.   
  
"Down boy." His brother said quite taken aback by his brother's normal abnormal behavior. Normally in families of three or more the youngest subconsciously craves attention and acts out to get it while the oldest tries to separate themselves from the rest of the family and has more of a risk of getting severely depressed while the middle sits back quietly, amusedly observing it all putting in their opinions when they feel it's needed. In the Thranduilion family, however, it was the exact opposite. The eldest acts like the youngest should, the youngest acts as the eldest should and the middle channels all his frustration onto the girl who was at the moment standing beside him.   
  
Aradel sighed dramatically. "Well go then. I'll just go water the gardens, I was, after all, the one who scared her into thinking there were flesh eating worms in there. Bye." She waved automatically and started towards the gardens and would have made it if Legolas hadn't grabbed her arm, dragging her back in.   
  
"Ada considers you a daughter, you're coming. And besides if I have to go through another one of his lectures so do you. It's probably half your fault anyway." He said dragging her to the silvery archway that indicated the entrance to the lounge.   
  
She groaned inwardly. "What do you mean half my fault?"   
  
He sat her down in a red and gold designed chair on his side of the matching couch. Thranduil was sitting on the larger couch opposite them, Galathil was beside Legolas and Nacumirus was looking ecstatic on the left of Galathil.   
  
"Now children." He began slowly. "You know the situation with your Nanneth's recent…departure."   
  
They all nodded in union, a saddened look overcoming their faces. Especially Nacumirus who seemed let down that he was not getting sweets.   
  
"Well I have some bad news, but don't get as upset as you did when she…left." Every one of them came up with the most gruesome and morbid possible outcome to this conversation possible. Aradel won. "Her departure from Rivendell back to Mirkwood has been delayed due to weather another couple of days." He finished finally.   
  
There was an awkward silence, half very relieved, half quite disappointed. Finally the eldest of the sons broke the silenced by hopping from his seat with a yell of frustration. "That's it?! We could have been outside playing and you call us in for that? Nanneth's being delayed a few days, we didn't know when she was coming back in the first place!" his eyes popped and a vain in his head throbbed. "I want candy!" he finished with an especially loud yell and a resolved sigh.   
  
Every eye was on him but Thranduil's was a glare that could have taken down a rogue Oliphant. "I guess I'll just send myself to my room then." And with a confirming nod from his father marched off to his chambers to think about what he had done. Bad Nacumirus, no yelling. Bad Elf. I think he deserves a slap on the nose with a newspaper.   
  
Just as everyone was departing from the room the front doors opened and a warm, familiar, female voice echoed through the halls. "I'm home!"   
  
Their eyes widen and they ran out to greet her. "Nanneth!" they all screamed, except Aradel of course, and jumped on her almost suffocating her. She wrapped her arms around the two of them and then the three when Nacumirus came down as he realized what the commotion was. Thranduil walked in and locked eyes with his wife. The children backed off as he slowly walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist.   
  
"Welcome home." He said with a smile before kissing her passionately. Everyone else in the room 'Eeeewwwww'ed and made there throwing up motions and the adults laughed. So did Aradel but in a slightly more concealed way.  
  
"What are you doing home so soon? I thought there had been delays." Thranduil asked after the laughter and disgusted noises had died down.   
  
"Well I said to myself, 'Tamuril, you can sit here in the rain with grumpy old Elrond or you can get a little wet and see your family more soon' Three guesses which I chose." She replied with a grin.   
  
That night they had a big feast, or as big as they could have on such short notice, where Aradel was placed by everyone in the household in the seat next to Tamuril's. They all talked late into the night, getting to know each other. In honesty they didn't get along all that well but better to know sooner then later. A certain middle prince wouldn't stop making fun of a certain woman who didn't get along with his mother for it for a long time.   
  
And so the truth about Legolas' mother was revealed to all. And that truth was Tamuril was not dead by some tragic accident or murder but alive and well with nothing wrong with her. And everyone was glad of it. As for Nacumirus, Aradel advised he go on Valium, a new drug she discovered in the forest long before she met Legolas that calmed you down sufficiently. The side affects were to severe however and he did not. So all was well and Nacumirus was hyper.   
  
The End  
  
A/N: Well now you know the deal with Legolas' mom. Isn't it great? I had to search so long to find a name good enough to be her name. Actually I just went to one of those Elvish Name Translators so it wasn't that hard. Well hopefully i finally get some reviews(i havn't got any for the longest time) Nehoo bye-bye!:D 


	6. Someone's Afraid of Thunder

Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at the first chapter at the beep. Beep!   
  
Summary: As the title says someone is afraid of thunder. It follows what happens on two different occasions. Enjoy!:D  
  
Someone's Afraid of Thunder  
  
The rain hit the shut window with a loud tatter and wind ripped relentlessly at the tree outside of Aradel's room making them scrape against the window. She drew her warm covers up to her nose, as it was cold. A flash outside bright and frightening startled the Elfling. Even scarier was the loud crashing that issued afterwards, loud, ominous and awesome. She gasped in fear and jumped out of bed.   
  
She ran down the corridor into her parent's bedroom. She hesitated outside for a moment, the last time she had barged in without knocking she had been sent to her room for two whole hours. For an equivalent of seven-year-old that's a long time to wait with nothing to do but study.   
  
Another loud sound of thunder cleared the fear of her parent's punishments from her mind and she jumped before opening the double doors slowly. Tentatively she poked her head in to see if they were awake as well. As she begun so sneak herself in a silver head shot up and looked strait at her. She stood strait letting go of the door and letting it swing out and hit the wall with a soft thud. She held her head high and forced her posture to be proper, face impassive, though her clenched fists and even her brown eyes seemed to quiver in fear.   
  
"Are you scared ion-nin?" Celeborn asked looking at his scared daughter through tired eyes.  
  
"I'm not scared." She replied quickly. "Are you?"   
  
He chuckled softly and got out of bed just in his long sweeping white sleep robes. He picked her up and carried her out to avoid the wrath of waking Galadriel. "No, I am not scared though it's not bad to be scared. You can admit to me if you are even a little, tiny bit scared." He coaxed gently with a smile, locking icy blue eyes with her brown ones.   
  
Another bang of thunder reached the ears of the two elves wandering the halls not yet knowing where they were going. "Maybe just a little tiny bit." The elfling admitted quietly, nuzzling up to her Ada's chest.   
  
"Now why are you afraid of the thunder, sweetie?" he asked.   
  
"Because it's loud, and powerful, and scary. Like Nanneth when she's mad at you." She replied with the hint of a smile playing on her little face. About now his feet had taken them to the kitchen.   
  
He mock glared at her but decided it was better to ignore the comment and continue. "True thunder is loud but it's not powerful at all and it's only scary when you are not educated as to what it is." Aradel cocked her head interestedly. "You see, clouds are things. Not completely solid but almost and when they bang together they make a loud, loud noise. That is what we call thunder. Understand?"   
  
She nodded vigorously. "So all it is, is clouds being clumsy and bumping into each other?" he too nodded in confirmation. She smiled at the prospect of rain clouds with little faces on them bumping into each other and falling down with a crash. A little like Haldir after a good party. All of a sudden the little girl burst out laughing.   
  
"What are you laughing at little one?" he asked playfully, a grin forming on his face as well. She didn't answer; she couldn't through fits of giggles. He mock pouted and began to tickle his little Aradel in the ribs. She laughed even harder and began trying to swat him away, then got fed up and jumped onto his shoulders and climbed over to his back. He jerked, causing her to sit atop his shoulders, high and mighty.  
  
He began to jog, making her go up and down with each step. Celeborn laughed and Aradel laughed all the way up to her room. She pleaded with him to play with her longer but he hastily reminded her wide eyed face that he was going to be grumpy in the morning if he didn't get enough sleep and a grumpy Celeborn is never a good thing. So she went to sleep and that was the first memory of any kind of thunder she could remember ever.   
  
One Human Equivalent Year Later  
  
Aradel had been jerked awake by a very loud bang of thunder and hadn't been able to get back to sleep thanks to the huge storm that was raging just outside her room. So sleepily she made her way down to the kitchens to get a glass of milk. When she had filled a tall glass and snuck a cookie from the cupboards she sluggishly went into the dinning room to sit at the head of the table and drink in peace.   
  
So there she was taking the long, final swig from her glass when a particularly loud bang of thunder ensued from outside and a clatter rang out from the kitchen. She furrowed her brown and got up to see what the commotion was. When she opened the doors she found her Ada bending down to pick up fallen knives and forks.   
  
"Ada?" she laughed, bending down to help.   
  
The Elven King looked up and nodded wearily. "Yes. The thunder sca…startled me."   
  
In a short time the knives and forks were back in their appropriate spots. Aradel stood and faced her Ada, her mentor. "Ada, may I be so bold as to ask if you are indeed afraid of the thunder?"   
  
He narrowed his eyes. "No." he said quickly. "You were always much, much, to mature for your age."   
  
She was about to reply something witty but was interrupted by another one of those pesky thunder bangs. Celeborn jumped about seven feet in the air and put a hand over his heart. He drew a quick, sharp breath through his nose and closed his eyes for a brief moment.   
  
"What were you saying?" he said shakily trying to draw attention away from his obvious and outstanding reaction to the loud noise.   
  
"You are afraid of thunder." She laughed, again. "After all those lectures about how thunder can't hurt you and such you are afraid of thunder."   
  
"Alright you caught me, but as I have said countless times it is a good thing to admit ones fears and face them head on." He retorted proudly. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll be off to bed, yet again."   
  
She nodded, "Good-night, Ada." He smiled and turned back. "You not to old to give your Ada a hug goodnight are you?"   
  
"Of course not." She embraced him and he her. He kissed the top of her head, said goodnight again and was off to bed. She smiled to herself in the dark on her way to her own room. She didn't think she could have a better Ada.   
  
The End  
  
A/N:It's short I know. The point of the story is that Celeborn was a good father and stuff before Celebrian's death. He still would be a good father if she hadn't died. He went crazy when she died and became really really weird. And only with Aradel, isn't that strange. Well hope you enjoyed. Nehoo bye-bye!:D 


	7. Trip to Rivendell

Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at the first chapter at the beep. Beep! Summary:Galadriel, Celeborn, Aradel and Celebrian all go for a nice trip to Rivendell. Celebrian meets Elrond for the first time. Gee i wonder what could happen. I wrote this in the middle of the night on night when i was bored so don't expect it to be exactly Tolkien grade material (not that anything i do ever is) The end is pretty abrupt but i was having real troubles ending it. Anyhoo i'm just gonna let you read or w/e so ya. Trip to Rivendell The Elven girl woke on the beautiful sunny morning, bird chirping happily and a soft breeze fluttering through the window filling her room with the quaint sent of lavender. She had planted some, along with other flowers, in the garden bellow her window. She lay for a moment, relishing the soft folds of her blanket and the cool breeze on her face as she came out of a wonderful dream. It was a short dream but as wonderful as dreams got. She had been walking along in a red and amber forest and an Elven man standing just so she couldn't see his face. She looked where she knew his eyes were and knew she was in love. Then she was woken rather rudely by the annoying little sparrow that had nested in the tree her talan was set upon. With a sigh she got out of bed and got dressed in the special dress her mother had expertly sewed for herself, her sister and her. It was made of white silk, and ran fluently down her body, contouring to her every curve while the spaghetti straps lay elegantly at her fair shoulders. She smiled as she put it on and started to comb and arrange her hair with one strand over her pointed ears while the rest fell lightly down her back. She really loved that dress. When her hair was finished she opened her bedroom door and walked out. She hesitated only a second wondering whether her parents wanted her to go directly to the stables or if they were having breakfast first. She shook her head, of course they were having breakfast. She turned right and headed for the dining room. "Celebrian!" she turned to meet the owner of the highly annoyed voice. "Yes, Aradel." She replied with a sigh. "Did you take my silver clip?" Aradel's sister looked on with confusion. "I was sure I left it on my bedside table but it was not there this morning. Did you borrow it for any reason?" "No, but I might have seen it. What does it look like?" Celebrian retorted helpfully. "Well it's silver, and it's a clip. There is nothing all the extraordinary, Celebrian, it's just a clip. It just happens to be my favorite clip." She replied getting more and more annoyed with her perfect sister all the time. "Oh, yes I know the one." She said, "You stole it from my room a week ago. You left it in the lounge so I took it back." With a smile and a pat on the shoulder she brushed past Aradel and started towards the dining hall. She stood there for a moment, scowling at the air, before starting after her sister. When she entered she saw the entire royal family already seated at the table. She took her seat, on the left side of the long table, opposite Celebrian, to the left of Galadriel and to the right of Celeborn. "Is that how you are going to where your hair to Imladris, dear?" Galadriel asked Aradel, eyeing the light brown locks casually laying over her shoulders about half way down her upper arm. "Yes, Nanneth." She replied looking up. "What is wrong with it, if I may ask." "Well nothing I suppose. It's just a little…plain. I'd prefer it more like Celebrian's, that's all." She commented shooting a quick smile to her youngest daughter who had her hair like her mother's. Parted down the middle and brushed back, except one stand that hung every so slightly over the front of the ear. Aradel scowled in the same direction, then turned expectedly to her father. "Ada, you don't think there's anything wrong with my hair like this do you?" He smiled lovingly, "Of course I don-" He glanced at the warning look coming from his wife. "I agree with you Nanneth." He corrected himself quickly looking down at his breakfast. "But I can't do anything with it, Nanneth. It's to short for what Celebrian's doing and she stole her hair clip back. Sorry." She said trying to sound as respectful as possible, with a little smile. "I'd like to tie it up but I don't think you'd like that very much, would you?" "I should think not." Galadriel replied indignantly. "I don't know why you would want to put your hair up like that. You should put it like ours then it would seem like we were more of a family. It would look better to the royal family of Rivendell." "I don't think my hair will impair or in any way sway their judgment on our family. These wonderful dresses will keep their eyes busy long enough for them to not care about my hair." Aradel said her smile fading slightly. "Dear if I may say so." Celeborn interrupted timidly. "I think her hair looks wonderful the way it is. And she was right, her hair is to short to have it like Celebrian and yourself, it would look more awkward with her." Aradel beamed at her father. He usually started to inch slowly out of the room when the two had a fight, knowing that which ever side her took he would have to face the wrath of one of them. And that was not something that was to be taken lightly, that's for sure. Galadriel scowled at her husband but turned quickly to her daughter. "Fine have it that way but when we get to Imladris and everyone thinks your adopted you'll be sorry." "I'll thank Illuvatar, that's what I'll do." She muttered under her breath. "What was that?" "Nothing, Nanneth, just had something stuck in my throat." She explained quickly adopting another fake smile. Then she got shot with that stare of hers. That piercing stare that made you feel like your mind was being read. And in this case it was. "Well you know what I said so there's no reason why I should say it in front Celebrian." She said, and the stare was taken off, much to the relief of everyone. When Galadriel got into the mind reading mood she read everyone's mind. And there's a lot of stuff in their family's minds that should never be conveyed to the public. The consequences would be disastrous! She continued to scowl. What I wonderful start to the day. No matter, soon they would be on there way to Rivendell and would be to busy riding a horse to talk. At least to their oldest daughter, Aradel. "Why are we going to Rivendell in the first place?" Aradel asked curiously after the appropriate amount of time after Galadriel stopped scowling. "I told you, we are going to Imladris because your Ada and I need to speak with Lord Elrond of political business and things of the like. It's a beautiful country and is inhabited by wonderful people as well. You will like it there." The Lady said almost in monotone but not quite. Aradel sighed, it was going to be a long two weeks they would be spending in Rivendell. After breakfast they were herded by their parents down to the stables where the company that would escort them had already readied the horses. Both the Lord and Lady got beautiful silver-white horses with hard gray eyes that seemed to gleam in the sunlight, while Aradel and Celebrian got the same but slightly less radiant. "Can't you ride side-saddle?" Galadriel nagged Aradel yet again as the younger mounted. "Like Celebrian? No, I can't, I find it demeaning to women and uncomfortable. Sorry Nanneth." She replied pulling up beside her again scowling mother. "I find it wonderfully comfortable, Aradel and some women like to ride side-saddle. It's not demeaning, it's respectable." The younger daughter chimed in with a helpful smile, the one Aradel loathed. Her mother smiled appreciatively at her side-saddling daughter. With a sigh and a tug of the reigns Aradel pulled away from her mother to her father. They exchanged smiles, both sympathetic and appreciative. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting the party was ready to start moving and the long trip to Rivendell begun. Days Later They had been riding in Rivendell for some time and all were hot, exhausted and felt like dropping off of their horses though showed no signs of any weakening. "I think I see the city, Nanneth!" Celebrian exclaimed, graciously excited craning her neck about ten minutes after Aradel had seen her first glimpse of the earthy coloured buildings. She rolled her eyes and tried to drown out the voices of her chattering family with a tune that her father had taught her when she was much younger. It was sad, yet happy. Calming yet exciting. It took an hour for them to reach the palace, winding their way through the bustling city. Young Elves and Elflings poked their heads out of their doors and windows to catch a glimpse at the renowned Lord and Lady of Lorien. It was not long after they entered the city that they reached the House of Elrond. Waiting just outside the palace doors was Lord Elrond himself, a welcoming smile upon his face. "Welcome, party of Lorien, to Imladris." He exclaimed with a powerful voice once the royal family had made their way to the front of the party and dismounted their horses. "I pray your stay will be an enjoyed one." "I am sure it will be, Lord Elrond." Galadriel said, matching his smile. "Come, let us go inside. You must be weary from your journey." He led them up the few shallow steps and inside the amazing structure. Once inside he showed them where they could wash up and where they would be sleeping. He was once caught, by Aradel, making a sideways glance at Celebrian whom looked quite flattered and pulled the usual fluttering eyebrows and dashing smile look. He then invited all of them into the lounge for tea and a chat. When they went into the lounge they found it rather luxurious from the moment they stepped under the arched entrance with engraved Elvish words. It was coloured mostly with light blues and steady creams. Two couches were sitting on opposite sides of the room while matching chairs accompanied them at their ends in a slight angle towards the entrance. The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with many books. It was obvious Elrond liked to read from his vast library and other books that wouldn't fit into the library scattered around the house, in a very orderly fashion of course. Aradel found this afternoon tea and chat excruciatingly tedious. Being forced to sit up perfectly straight, smiling and making pointless small talk with Elrond's advisor Erestor. Celeborn seemed to share her thoughts though in a less painfully blunt way. He just sat beside Galadriel listening quietly and nodding or shaking his head when whomever she was talking to acknowledged him. Celebrian on the other hand appeared to be having a wonderful time talking to Lord Elrond himself. She asked him if he believed in love at first sight and the conversation went on from there. Aradel almost gagged when she overheard that. Finally the tea had run out and the points of conversation had been sucked dry from the proverbial well. At that time Elrond excused himself to tend to matters in his study and suggested they all get a good nights sleep. Celebrian and Aradel were to share a room, to the disgust of both, and at the same time wished to retreat to it. So rolling their eyes, making disapproving noises and getting looks from their parents they went into the elaborate room. It truly was a beautiful room. The walls were painted with a tan colour with a light brown design upon it that looked like branches reaching out, creeping along the wall, growing as they stood in awe. They didn't have a room with a window but on the wall opposite the door was a desk of dogwood. It had three drawers on one side as well as paper and a quill laying on the surface at the moment. One bed was coloured with green and brown with lace flowing down from the four-poster as if it were liquid. Rich browns and dainty greens were the colour of the throw cushions donning the forest green blanket. It was positioned with its head to the left wall of the room with its side on the wall with the desk at it. The other was the opposite of that, its head facing the right wall and it was closer to the wall with the door in it so it didn't touch the other bed. It was decorated with red and gold throw cushions in the same way the other way but the brown was red and the green gold. "Nice room." Aradel commented lightly as she walked in and sat on the side of the green and brown bed. "I would like to have this one, if you don't mind." "Of course not, I didn't want it anyway. This one is so nice." Celebrian said with a satisfied smile and she fingered the lace falling from the canopy. "So, is Elrond nice?" Aradel asked standing up and going to inspect the desk. Celebrian's face cracked into a fond smile and replied slowly: "Yes, he's wonderful. He's funny, smart, kind, and a great ruler." By now her eyes had glazed over. Aradel turned to her sister with a dull look on her face. "Must you make it so painfully obvious? You could have given me some room to guess or make it some kind of challenge." "I've no idea what you mean." The giddy grin had not been wiped off of her face. "You love him. Already." She informed her either lying or oblivious sister. "You've known him an hour and you already love him." "I do not. I just thinks he's a fine gentleman who-OK your right." She finally confessed, plopping herself down on the bed. There was a part uncomfortable part somewhat disgusted silence. Aradel didn't like the aspect of love, she hated it and it hated her. She liked it that way. "When are you going to tell him?" Aradel broke the silence. "What?!" she stood up very fast and looked shocked. "I can't tell him!" she all but shouted at her browned haired sister. "So your going to sit here and wallow in your own self pity until we return to Lorien where you'll sit there and wallow in your own self pity until you hear of his wedding and grow even more depressed leading to your untimely demise." Aradel simulated monotonously. Her expression softened to a nice shocked thoughtful one. "I'll go tell him." She trudged out of the room leaving behind Aradel who went to clean up. Five Hours Later Aradel was in her room again after going out climbing trees and in general wandering the forests and palace. She was reading something she had found in the library peacefully when Celebrian came in and just about slammed the door. She fumed over to lay on her bed with a defeated sigh. "What is wrong with you?" Aradel asked, sitting up to look at her blonde haired sister, confused and a little bit concerned. Celebrian, too, sat up to look at her big sister. "I took your advice. I told him." She started a little shakily. "He said he felt the same and then he kissed me, I kissed back and we started kissing." She finished, still with a terrified and shocked look on her face. "That is what you wanted. What part of this makes you upset?" she pried eagerly. "Well just then Nanneth walked into the courtyard." Aradel drew in a sharp breath threw her teeth. "She was actually happy when I told her how we felt about each other. She said at least he was half worthy of me." Celebrian smiled weakly. "Are you going to marry him?" "Probably, I love him. When? I have no idea." Aradel sat back down and continued to read. Love is confusing, she thought. The End A/N: I don't know the date they got married or the date that they met or the circumstances in which they met but that is sort of how i imagined Celebrian and Elrond getting together. Not exactly but the best i can do at four in the morning. (I could sleep) I don't know when the next one will be up so don't ask and please please please any suggestions you have at all would be great. In other words please review if it's not to much trouble. Nehoo, bye-bye!:D 


	8. Rivalry

Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at the first chapter at the beep. Beep!  
Summary: Aradel and Legolas indulge in the fine art of fencing. And maybe their good friend Galathil will play a small part. Basically its just a story that i thought up in the middle of the night and decided to go on with it. Why? Because i have NO other ideas, please review and give me some. Thank you!:D Setting: Set before Aradel moved in with the royal family maybe a month or two after they met. Its an early one.  
  
Rivalry  
  
Darkness, complete darkness. Not the cold frightening kind of darkness but the warm safe kind of darkness. Aradel lay surrounded by it. Her eyes were closed, she was just waking up, although not quite up. Half asleep, half awake. Her favorite part of waking up, the part where she wasn't quite.  
  
The birds were chirping telling her the sun was up and by the sounds of it the breeds that woke up late. That meant it was probably before noon but no earlier than eleven.  
  
She sifted her position. Bad idea. That shift made her tailbone angle on the wood in a very uncomfortable position. She sighed and opened her eyes.  
  
The scene was relatively pretty. The sun shone through the branches, casting mystical shadows along the forest floor. Her earlier musings of birds proved correct, they were swooping in and out of the trees singing happily while they enjoyed their happy dance. The air was crisp, as the heat of the afternoon hadn't yet set in.  
  
Of course this scene was lost on Aradel as the light burned her newly awakened eyes and the crisp air was cold and cruel on her recently revived senses. Squinting and blinking she climbed down the tree and sat on the ground, with her back leaning on the trunk and rubbed her eyes waiting for them to stop hurting.  
  
She had been slumbering in a tall redwood of Mirkwood in a secluded area that had yet to be taken by darkness. Ironically the tree in which she had first met Legolas had been a redwood and she was meeting him today. Of course it had long been consumed by the darkness.  
  
Her vision was clouded by a shadow. She looked up into the mocking eyes of her least favorite Elven prince. "You are finally awake?"  
  
"Yes, your highness, I, the lowly commoner am awake to bask in your glory." She replied sarcastically getting slowly to her feet. She was definitely not a morning person.  
  
"I don't think any less of people just because they are not of royalty. I am not that shallow." He said, he was standing with her feet apart and his arms behind his back. She leaned lazily against the tree.  
  
"So you think of me as your equal?" she questioned raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No." he was impassive but his eyes gleamed with mischief. He apparently was a morning person. "I said I don't think of people any less because of royal blood. I have reason to think less of you."  
  
"I feel so loved thank you Legolas." Again, her words dripped with sarcasm so that you could almost hear it if you listened very, very hard indeed.  
  
"Let us fight." He exclaimed excitedly, a grin erupting on his pale face illuminated by the morning light.  
  
"You know when it just happens it's fine but when you announce it like that it takes all the fun out of it." She replied dully.  
  
He shook his head. "No, I mean let us duel. I brought swords." He thrust his arms out in front of him and showed that each was grasping a long, curved Elven blade, obviously smuggled from his father's armory.  
  
She raised a pretentious eyebrow then smiled and grabbed one by the handle from him. "Alright, bring it on Leafy."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"OK." She moved from in front of him and waved an arm signaling for him to pass.  
  
"Very funny, what did you call me?"  
  
"Leafy. I was going to say Greeny but I thought Leafy would be better. And Greenleaf just sounds like something your mother would call you." She replied examining her blade.  
  
"Please refrain from calling me anything of that nature in the future. Thank you." He said twirling his blade in his fingers. He steadied it and pointed at her in a way that initiated the commencing of the fight.  
  
"Dually noted." She lunged and he blocked with expertise. He smirked and she smiled. This time he lunged and she blocked then quickly slashed at his upper arm. He jumped back and avoided the blow, though narrowly.  
  
For near an hour their blades clashed as they lunged and swiped at each other, every time avoiding. She was putting up more of a fight than he had originally thought. Surely she must have had some training, he made a mental note to ask her. Beads of sweat appeared on both of their foreheads as he lunged and she stepped back over a rather conveniently placed Elven boot. She fell to the ground with a thud.  
  
Before she could get up he was stepping on her and placed his sword at her neck. Legolas grinned widely in an ostentatious kind of way. He sighed and sheathed his weapon. Then he stepped off her and turned to inspect his arms to see if he was cut, often while in battle he would forget to feel the effects of a shallow cut.  
  
Grunting in defeat Aradel too got up and picked up her dropped blade. She swung it up to sheath it properly but heard a small cry of pain as she did so. Looking up she saw a small hint of blood upon a mass of golden-blonde. She put a hand to her mouth in surprise.  
  
Before she could stutter an apology he whipped around a smile on his face. "How dare you assault me!" with that he dropped his sword, its case and all, and lunged at the unsuspecting woman.  
  
She cried out again as she hit the ground for the second time and roughly shoved him off. With a small but audible growl she lunged at his midsection and brought him down. He tried to kick her off but she had him in a position that left him pretty much immobile. She was sitting on his upper chest with his hands pinned down to the ground. She had placed herself high up enough on his body that no matter how he manipulated his flexible legs he could kick her.  
  
"That was an accident. I am sorry." She grinned, victoriously.  
  
"I doubt it was and I really did not think you were capable of uttering those words." He replied still struggling against her.  
  
"Yes, it does leave a rather bad taste in my mouth." She tilted her head upward in a thoughtful way. "But words don't really leave any taste in mouths do they? I wonder how that expression came to be."  
  
"Probably a mutation of some other, older expression. Surely you do not care, for you do not about many origins." He had now stopped struggling.  
  
"You're right, I don't. That was rather out of character, thank you for pointing that out. Origins don't matter, it's where the thing is right now that matters." She exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, but they do. To know the origins of the word or phrase is to know where it will go. From examining its past we can see where it will go in the future. Not to mention what we can tell of how they spoke back then." He replied.  
  
"Do you believe in fate Legolas?"  
  
"Yes." He replied quickly. "I believe we are all destined for something. If not then why are we here?"  
  
"Than what is the point of knowing and learning from the past?" she shrugged. "If phrases aren't meant to mutate they won't and if they are then, by George, they will."  
  
"We could be having this conversation with you not sitting on me you know." He said with a blank look.  
  
"Yes we probably could. But then it wouldn't be as much fun for me." She smiled smugly.  
  
"Get off!" he shouted as, in her moment of weakness, released his wrists from her grasp and shoved her by the shoulders off of him. After they both started laughing.  
  
"Legolas, Ada wants you to come back to the palace. You have forgotten your chores again." Their laughing was interrupted by a small voice by the edge of the clearing. Galathil was leaning against a tree with an amused smile on his pale face.  
  
"Alright, thank you Galathil, I'll be right there." He turned his golden head towards Aradel then back to Legolas where bright blue eyes met emerald green ones. "Oh, and by the way this is Aradel. She is a friend."  
  
"I can see that. You took Ada's good swords; if he finds out he will be furious." He commented lazily.  
  
Legolas stood, sheathed both swords and put them both on his belt. Then he went to Galathil and put a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Galathil, don't tell Ada. If he found out about Aradel he would make me try and court her and the Valar knows I do not want to court her."  
  
Behind them Aradel smiled. Galathil noticed. "I will not tell Ada, but you owe me a favor."  
  
Legolas smiled and nodded. Galathil left them and Legolas turned to Aradel. "Next time I shall bring archery equipment and we can see whose better at that. We shall meet here on the morrow."  
  
"Very well, and I shall beat you at archery as I beat you at swordplay." She smiled smugly.  
  
"You did not win that game!" he insisted, outraged in the funny kind of way.  
  
"I did to."  
  
"No you did not I pinned you to the ground thus winning the game."  
  
"Ah but then I accidentally slashed your neck, you lunged and I ended up pinning you and you had to surrender to get me off thus I won the game." She grinned.  
  
His mouth dropped down in silent protest. "I have not the time to discuss the results of our petty games. I have chores to attend to so if you'll excuse me." He nodded politely and left through the thick forest.  
  
She looked around her surroundings briefly then shrugged. "What's that? Oh, sure I'll walk you to the palace." She muttered to herself before quickly taking after him.  
  
Several upturned roots, an unsuspected tree and a low branch nearly in the face later (about a minute) she caught up with Legolas who had in turn caught up with Galathil.  
  
"Why are you following us?" Legolas asked over his shoulder, in curiosity as he heard her approach.  
  
"I've nothing else to do." She replied.  
  
"Well we were just discussing death." Galathil piped in. "Feel free to add anything you wish to our happy little conversation."  
  
She smiled. "I do have something to add. Everyone in the world, no matter what the species, is going to die eventually."  
  
"No." Legolas interjected, "Not Elves."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No, if an elf is not slain or sails across the sea he or she will not die. Ever." He protested indignantly, stepping over a root and ducking under a branch as he did so.  
  
"Not true." Galathil said. "She is right, everyone is doomed to die. Some earlier than others but they die all the same."  
  
"Not Elves." Legolas said stubbornly, with a sigh.  
  
"Legolas, admit that you're wrong and accept the fact that no matter what you're going to die." Aradel said shaking her head.  
  
"Only if I'm slain."  
  
"Legolas do you know the sun theory?" she asked.  
  
"No." he said plucking a broken twig from his golden hair, messed from the low hanging branches.  
  
"I have." Galathil said. "Explain it further, though, by all means."  
  
"Yes I wish to know as well."  
  
"OK, the sun is a star. Stars die, they blow up. When the sun blows up it will either cause the earth to fly off into space, loosing heat and oxygen thus killing us all or create a black whole and suck it up destroying all of its inhabitants." She explained as the palace came into view.  
  
Legolas hesitated, thinking, then turned to look at the messy woman. "But that is a type of slaying."  
  
Aradel stopped in surprise and cursed mentally. 'He's right you know.'  
  
'Yes I know. I just don't want to know.'  
  
Then she laughed at herself. 'Why do you always talk to yourself?'  
  
'I don't know, just start walking before they suspect something.'  
  
So she started her legs walking again and quickly caught up to the two brothers, the elder with a smug look on his fair face.  
  
The rest of the way to the palace passed in silence. When they did reach it, Galathil couldn't get up the steps into it fast enough but Legolas turned to Aradel.  
  
"Goodbye." He said plainly. "I shall see you tomorrow."  
  
She nodded. "If I don't see you first." He rolled his eyes and quickly ran up the stairs awaiting his father's wrath for taking weapons.  
  
She turned to go back to her beautiful tree, to see if she could climb even higher, and could think of only one word to mutter to describe him. She had heard it used by humans in great excess and had picked it up on one of her many trips through the lower class areas of Gondor and Rohan. As she thought of it she muttered it to herself.  
  
"Dork."  
  
The End  
  
A/N: I'm sorry i havne't updated in months but i've been busy with other stuff other stories other places other things. Not to mention going back to scohol. :( Ok i don't know if dorks were invented back then but i'm using it because i don't know what she would call him. I'm sure they had other words of the same meaning but i don't know what they are so i'm using dork. I also don't know if anyone knew the sun was a star, stars blew up, the earth revolved around the sun, or the earth was round ect but i just can't escape my more nerdy side and have to include some facts. I don't want to it just happens. 


	9. Happy Birthday

Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at the first chapter at the beep. Beep!  
Summary:No, we don't find out Aradel's age just what day she was born. You'll see but long story short(then long below) Legolas and his brothers throw her a little birthday party. And lets just say there will be wine )  
Setting: Shortly after Rivarly, maybe a month or two.  
  
Happy Birthday  
  
Legolas and Aradel lay lazily on the soft grass with their hands behind their heads and the sun warming their faces. They stared up at the fascinating cloud formations as the sounds of a stream nearby and birds gently chirping. Much conversation wasn't needed on such a fine day but when it did arise they kept it short and to the point.  
  
"What day is your birthday on?" Legolas asked, his golden hair, glowing in the sun's rays fanned around his head in a way that would have made Thranduil shake his head.  
  
"What do you mean?" she replied, her brown hair, radiantly spread widely over her shoulders like an upside down bowl in a way that would have made Thranduil look towards his son and shake his head.  
  
"Well you insist on keeping your age from me so I would at least like to know when I can wish you a happy birthday." He replied.  
  
"If you think I'm going to tell you the year I was born then think again. As far as I can tell you can do simple math and to tell you would be a very stupid move on my part." She sat up and looked at him indignantly.  
  
He too sat up and smiled at her, cocking his head cutely. "I meant not for you to tell me anything of that sort. I meant only to find out what day of which month you were born on. For example: I was born on the sixth of May."  
  
"Oh." She exclaimed, drawing it out longer than was nescissary. "I see. Well then, if that's all I was born on the thirty-first of December."  
  
"That is tomorrow!" he exclaimed with surprise. "And but a day from when we first met, approximately a year ago."  
  
"That's right." She nodded in confirmation.  
  
He sighed and lay back down, again staring at the sky in a state of bliss. Soon afterward Aradel followed suit and they lay for hours, long after sundown.  
  
Two Days Later  
  
"Quickly!" Legolas whispered urgently as he led the highly irritated but excited woman through the thick forest to a spot where he said he had found something dead. "If we do not reach it soon the wilderness will probably have eaten be the time we do so."  
  
"I'm coming! I would be coming a lot faster if you would stop flipping all those branches at me!" she retorted as he flipped another one back into her face and another into her gut.  
  
"Oh, begging your pardon, I didn't realize." He muttered quickly, waving a hurrying hand at her. "Hurry!"  
  
She growled quietly following him through tall trees and short bushes and plants of the like. After about ten more minutes of aggravated and irritating traveling not to mention all of the cursing and fist shaking from Aradel, they arrived in front of a particularly thick, tall bush blocking the entrance to what Legolas knew, and Aradel thought was a clearing.  
  
He turned to face her and whispered, "I shall go in first to make sure everything is still there and no danger approaches. You stay here until I tell you to come." Subtly she rolled her eyes, which was lost on him, and nodded. He parted a section in the bushes and went through it.  
  
She sighed dejectedly and sat down, crossing her legs and leaning on her hands behind her for support. Then she heard a muffled sound that sounded as though it was coming from merry Elves. Laughter rang out suddenly from the clearing, though it was definitely trying to be stifled.  
  
Then a golden head appeared from within the branches, Legolas'. "You can come now, but be careful, this might scare you a little." His head retreated and she stood up to follow him. Slowly, heeding Legolas' warning, she stepped through the bushes into the clearing.  
  
"SURPRISE!" three voices rang out as loud as their lungs would permit. She jumped only a little but did all the same as she quickly tried to absorb all of her surroundings.  
  
It was a nice clearing, with all plant or otherwise debris had been taken away and the grass trimmed to the best of their ability. A table covered in satin cloths and with wooden benches on either sides of it had been set up with fruits and breads and wines of sorts. Hung along the trees was brightly coloured ribbon and upon the ribbon lanterns of many cheery colours were hung for later when the sun set. To top it off glitter had been thrown over it all and made everything sparkle magnificently.  
  
"You were right, Legolas, this is scary." Was the only thing she could say. "What is all this?"  
  
"It is your birthday party of course! And I wish you a happy one at that." Legolas replied.  
  
"We wanted an excuse to have a party without father trying to set Legolas up with as many maidens as would comply." Galathil added.  
  
"None of this food will be missed, we nicked it from Galion's personal kitchen. He has so much in there he wouldn't notice if we had taken a thousand pounds of meat. But to be safe we did not take any meat." Nacumirus added.  
  
"Hm. What a lovely surprise, I really didn't suspect a thing. But honestly Legolas, you found something dead?" she turned accusingly towards him.  
  
"I felt it unnecessary to create such an extravagant lie that you would believe, for if I did it would no doubt have reached the ears of many, both friend and foe." He replied.  
  
"I see."  
  
"Do you really?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes! Now stop questioning me and let's eat." She walked briskly to the table and took a bunch of grapes from a large bowl. Along with that she got a nice piece of French bread and a mug (they didn't dare take the goblets or fine china) red wine. After taking one sip, however, she put it down and didn't touch it again.  
  
"I thought I liked wine." She told herself and whoever happened to be listening to her.  
  
Legolas stared opened mouthed at her. "You don't like wine?" he asked, astounded.  
  
"No, me oh my no. I find it a bit bitter and uneven for my tastes. It is amusing that I am the only one in this world that thinks so, for most people describe wine as sweet and smooth, which was quite misleading if I do say so myself." She replied.  
  
"I have been drinking wine at meals and such since I was a tiny Elfling. No older than forty." He said as he picked up an apple and munched on it while talking to her.  
  
"Perhaps that's why I don't like it. I started drinking it when I was quite old, I remember I liked it. Maybe it was the alcohol that excited me but now it's not quite as appetizing." She started popping grapes in her mouth.  
  
"You are strange." He said simply with a sigh, snatching one of her grapes.  
  
She narrowed her eyes menacingly but remained calm so no one got hurt and replied. "I know, it's brilliant fun though."  
  
"I take it back. You're not strange, you're just plain insane."  
  
"That's better than being sane." She said with a subtly shaking of her head.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"If you're sane, you're meant to act a certain way. You have to talk, walk, act, and dress like everyone else. Like a clone. You're not allowed to do anything out of the ordinary. That's fine for some people, don't get me wrong, for some people it's perfectly fine and dandy."  
  
She looked at him for some kind of response but got none so continued. "When you are officially dubbed insane you can do whatever you like. It doesn't matter if it doesn't meet the approval of the general public because they have already labeled you, they've passed their judgment and it will most likely not change."  
  
"You know what I find highly amusing?" she shook her head. "I was not listening to a word you just said." He took a deep swig from the mug in which he had been nursing from the beginning of Aradel's mini seminar.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry let me repeat it for you. When you're sane-" he held up a hand to stop her but miraculously, she continued, "you're meant to-" she did however stop when Galathil, who just happened to be walking behind her, smacked her on the back of the head.  
  
"Well," she stated indignantly standing up. "I can see I'm not wanted here."  
  
'Why I never!' she thought to herself, 'I ought to bust a cap in his ass.'  
  
Sticking her nose exaggerated immensely into the air she strode over to strike up a conversation with Nacumirus about candy and its effect on energy levels.  
  
Within fifteen minutes, all three Elven brothers were completely intoxicated. In other words glazed, tipsy, totaled, plowed, soused, inebriated, drunk, wasted, plastered, hammered and so on and so forth.  
  
She watched in mild amusement as they stumbled back and forth trying to get a grip and find their feet.  
  
There was a dull thud as Nacumirus fell down and began to clutch his thigh in pain. "Oh no!" he cried in distress. "I fell off the ground! Charlie horse! Charlie horse!"  
  
Before she had time to laugh at him Galathil staggered up to her and pointed accusingly. "You stole my baby!" he shrieked. "You stole my baby!" She raised an eyebrow as he kept yelling about being a mother and how a mother can't die. After about a minute of that he hiccuped and passed out, landing with yet another thud on the ground at her feet.  
  
Clearing her throat indignantly she nudged him away from her with her boot and turned to Legolas who was now yelling at tree about being too tall and old. "Shut up! Stay away from my wife!" he was now yelling at it. He fell over and started crawling away from it in terror.  
  
She sighed and decided she might as well help him. "Come on." She grunted trying to pull him to his feet and to the table. With much difficulty she managed to do so, eventually and sat down beside him.  
  
"No!" he screeched, "You have to kill the trees! They're conspiring against me!"  
  
With another forlorn sigh she turned and kicked the nearest tree lightly. "Better?"  
  
He nodded vigorously, then cocked his head and smiled. "You're so pretty." He leaned in to touch her face but she backed up and he fell flat on his face on the bench. 'Tut-tut'ing to herself she noticed it was getting very late. It was past sundown.  
  
Slowly and painfully she carried, dragged and shoved all three of them back to the steps of their home and laid them there to be found by either Thranduil or one of the butlers or maids.  
  
As she walked back to her special sleeping tree to sit and wait for exhaustion to set in she thought of her past birthdays. The first couple had been very nice indeed, considering her parents and their resources. After that she hadn't had any. None at all, which she found a little sad when she thought about it. Today had indeed been a very happy birthday.  
  
The End  
  
A/N: I had a longer version of this that includes the aftermath of the drunkness(the hangover) and she tells them how they acted. It's not much longer but its longer. If you want to see it then just review and tell me so! Nehoo, bye-bye!:D 


	10. New Beginings

Discliamer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at the first chapter at the beep. Beep!  
Setting: The next day after the end of Kings and Princes. Summary: A copmletely and utterly pointless little fic that i wrote while under the influence of insanity. Legolas and Aradel are camping and find a little something that scares the crap out of 'em. :D  
  
New Beginnings  
  
Legolas and Aradel had set up camp at the very edge of some uncharted forest. They had already eaten and were now 'snuggling' beside it. She was leaning against him and his arm was around her.  
  
"How long do you think it will be until we reach Rivendell?" she asked just for the sake of conversation.  
  
"Oh, say two weeks. If the weather holds out with this lovely sunshine." He replied tilting his head up towards the clear sky, dotted with stars.  
  
"I hate the confounded sunshine." She commented argumentatively. "I want it to rain. Legolas make it rain."  
  
"Alright I'll just go to Ulmo and ask him to make it rain for some whiny little girl. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic." His voice was practically dripping with sarcasm and his eyes rolled to match.  
  
"Thank you that would be lovely." She grinned brightly and he smacked her lightly on the head making her frown mockingly before nestling her head back into his chest.  
  
"Why are you being so close?" he asked suddenly. "Just out of curiosity."  
  
"Because I feel like. You have a problem you can go. Go on, leave." She replied prissily. Then her expression turned darker. "If you dare." She then laughed with an evil hint to it, which in turn made him laugh.  
  
"You are completely insane."  
  
"We've already gone over this about a million times, Legolas, if I explain one more time I'm afraid I will have to kill you all."  
  
"All?"  
  
"You and the little flying, sparkly dwarves hovering around your head." She grinned at the expression on his face. "And where is this forest you speak of. I can't see it for there are too many trees in the way!"  
  
"You're being crazy on purpose, just to irritate me aren't you?" he asked dully.  
  
"Yes, quite." She grinned again, wider this time, her face flickering in the firelight.  
  
He sighed dejectedly and gave her a quick squeeze before getting up and stretching. "I shall retire for the night at this point, we shall rise again at dawn."  
  
She laughed. "Yea, good luck with that, Legolas. I'll probably punch you in the face when you try to wake me up at dawn."  
  
"Very well. We shall rise again when you get your lazy butt up. Then we'll hunt for breakfast, then eat breakfast then…"  
  
"We need not a play by play Legolas, though thank you for the offer, I think I'll go to bed as well." So she lay down where she was and, quite comfortably and quickly, fell asleep with amusing dreams of Legolas in pink things.  
  
He sighed again, though this time in contentment. As her breathing slowed to a slow steady pace and her eyes began to flicker as they did when she slept. She really was beautiful, he wonder why he hadn't noticed before. Probably all the annoying idiotic attitude attached to it.  
  
Realizing then that he had been watching her sleep for over five minutes (surely a minute more and she would be calling him a perverted sleep watcher for weeks) he took out his sleeping blanket and went quickly to a sleep of relaxation and rest.  
  
The next morning Legolas as predicted woke up hours before Aradel and had to prod her quite forcibly to get her up.  
  
"Come on, if we want to get there on time you have to get up now!" he grunted in annoyance after poking her for the hundredth time. Finally getting fed up he took a sharp stick and dug it hard, though not piercing the skin, into her side.  
  
She sprung up and in one fluid motion grabbed the stick and smacked him over the head with it. "What in Valar's name was that for?! You could have just poked me you know."  
  
Rubbing his head where the stick hit he replied, "I tried that for about an hour. You are a deep sleeper."  
  
Instead of dignifying that with an answer she stood up and stretched her tired muscles before sitting back down and taking the plate of breakfast the blond elf had prepared before hand.  
  
They started to eat without words, though with fake angry and amused looks, for the first couple of minutes before Legolas broke that silence. "Can I see your ears?"  
  
"Is that some sort of fetish of yours?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
He laughed. "No. Ever since I met you, you've been hiding them but now that I know you are indeed an Elf I thought I could see them pointed."  
  
She sighed and pulled back her hair revealing her elegantly pointed ears. They were also slightly paler than the rest of her face, from being covered the majority of the time.  
  
"Now that I know, you do look a lot like Galadriel. I noticed a little bit before but I didn't pay any attention to it." He commented.  
  
"I see."  
  
"I still don't understand the whole concept of why Celeborn and yourself are having this feud."  
  
"It's not a simply feud, Legolas, it runs deep within my veins and I'm pretty sure his as well." She answered monotonously. "It's not the kind of thing you would understand."  
  
"Please. Even if I do not understand I will do my best to look like I do." He pleaded with those cursed puppy-dog eyes of his.  
  
She took one look at him and smiled. "Fine. It all started when my sister, Celebrian, I believe you used to know of her by reputation, died in an orc attack." She went on to explain how the whole thing came to be, how close they used to be, how vicious they are now, and how she had to move out of her own home to get away from him.  
  
When she was finished he was staring at her blankly like she was speaking dwarfish. He nodded slowly to acknowledge that he noticed she was finished.  
  
"You don't get it at all do you?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"I told you that you wouldn't understand."  
  
"I believed you."  
  
"Are those all the questions you have, or are you further interested in prying into my personal life?"  
  
"I must pry. Elaborate on the 'inheriting you mother's mind' idea for me. Please." He added with a bright smile and he started to pack up all their stuff, with no help whatsoever from Aradel who was still not yet fully awake.  
  
She sighed. "It's exactly as it was before. I know what you're thinking if it's being emphasized in your mind. As for telling the future I have had no such burden to bare."  
  
"Lucky you." He said absent mindedly, while packing up the stuff that they would need. "So are we going to have any crazy wild adventures like we used to have? I miss those, it seems like the only fun thing we've done lately has been in one big group. I like the small things we used to do."  
  
"I agree. We should have more small adventures but it seems like I've run out of ideas on how to annoy you!" she said looking shocked.  
  
"Such a miracle I would have thought never possible." He exclaimed nonchalantly. "Take this." He said just before roughly shoving a pack full of stuff into her. He then mounted his gleaming horse and she followed suit quickly afterward.  
  
"And I didn't get anything for you." She replied sarcastically.  
  
"Tragic."  
  
"Oh, shut up, you're just grumpy because you didn't get as much sleep as you're used to."  
  
"Probably." She scowled and he laughed, then they both started to walk briskly towards the rising sun.  
  
"Why do we have to walk towards the sun?" Aradel asked, squinting her eyes to make the glare go away.  
  
"It's the fastest way to Rivendell. Do you want to spend a month trying to get there?"  
  
"No. Mother."  
  
"If I was your mother…" he said threateningly shaking his fist menacingly. That apparently was funny because just then she burst out laughing hard. When she was finished, which took about ten minutes, they hadn't changed but she continued to scowl at the sun viciously attacking her eyes.  
  
The trees loomed tall over the two as they walked, as the sun slowly moved behind them basking Legolas and Aradel in cool shadows. The day seemed like an eternity after only one or two hours because of lack of conversation. The rolling green hills and flawless countryside proved far less interesting than they had anticipated. By midday they felt they need a break for lunch.  
  
"The days now just keep going on, don't they?" she said plopping down on the ground before the small fire Legolas had prepared for cooking sausages given to them by the Hobbits.  
  
"Yes. I suppose it's the vast loss of numbers in our group. When Aragorn, Gimli, or even Merry was here it was almost effortless to come up with conversation. Sometimes when not need as well."  
  
"I find that good conversation is hard to come by these days. This generation is way to lax about manners and etiquette."  
  
"I agree. No sense of what a good conversation sounds like." He said with a nod. "In fact I think I'm starting to forget, since I haven't had a conversation in a while." At this point he chose to glare pointedly in Aradel's direction.  
  
She looked offended. "We're having a conversation right now, you can't blame your lack of interesting thought on me!"  
  
"I will if I please." He replied sticking his nose in the air melodramatically.  
  
"And I will murder you and hide your chopped up carcass in the forest. I am a little bit morbid."  
  
"Magical."  
  
"Isn't it just?"  
  
"No."  
  
She stuck out her tongue at him, making her seem extremely childish.  
  
"Why am I dating you again?"  
  
"Because you love me." She informed him with a grin.  
  
"Oh yea." He put the sausages on the frying pan he had put on the fire during their conversation and started to prod them.  
  
"We're not a terribly romantic couple are we?" she asked interestedly.  
  
"No." he said. "I don't think it would half as much fun as it is if we were."  
  
She was about to reply when her head pricked up and turned to the forest to their backs. He noticed she was more tense than usual, like she was when she was hearing something from afar but if she was he should have heard it as well.  
  
"What is it?" she stopped him with her hand as she got up and walked slowly, carefully towards whatever it was she was sensing. With a small twist of her chocolate coloured hair she looked over at him and pointed to her bow then waved at herself. He got the idea and silently as an owl in the middle of the night handed it to her all the time with his in his own.  
  
She put up three fingers and started to slowly count them down. On one they simultaneously burst through the thick bushes and drew their bows. Behind the bushes they found a big empty clearing encased with large trees and one solitary bush in the middle. And it rustled. Solitary bushes in the middle of a clearing, with no people around for miles, no wind don't shake that way.  
  
"Show your self!" Legolas said in a raised voice, just below yelling level.  
  
"You heard the blond one!" Aradel exclaimed after a minutes, earning herself a glare from him. "Show yourself. We'll only ask once more!"  
  
The bush rustled again, every so slightly. They again more violently. The two Elves exchanged glances. "Show yourself. Final warning!"  
  
No response. Both archers shot an arrow, one green, one blue, into each side of the dense bush piercing it right through. They heard no sound, not a squeal or whimper of pain, or even a thud.  
  
"Did we kill it?" Aradel asked inching her way closer to the bush.  
  
"I don't know but I certainly hope so." Legolas replied not far behind her.  
  
They stopped just in front of the mysterious shrubbery. Aradel looked at her companion. "Well? Aren't you going to look behind?"  
  
He looked surprised. "What if it's some injured animal ready to strike and kill us all?"  
  
"I thought you were supposed to be some sort of hardened warrior."  
  
"That doesn't stop me from being somewhat afraid of giant animals waiting for their prey behind a small bush."  
  
"Fine, I'll do it if you're going to be a baby about it." She said prissily taking a step forward and parting the bush where she was sticking her head.  
  
Legolas waited behind her craning his neck to see without getting to close. Suddenly she let out a blood curdling scream and withdrew from the bush so quickly that she fell back right on her bottom.  
  
"Valar! Are you OK? What was it?" he dropped down to her side trying to read her expression. It took him a while to realize that her expression was hilarity and she laughing so hard that she couldn't at this time move a muscle. Other than her heart of course.  
  
"You should have seen the look on your face!" she choked, eventually, when her laughing had died down.  
  
"I don't get it! What was behind there?!" he asked in annoyance and concern for his own safety. She was not known for great ability to assess risk levels.  
  
"Go look for yourself." She suggested still laying face up on the dirt. He glared then without a word stood up and cautiously approached the bush.  
  
He slowly and carefully parted the green plant and poked his head in a little to get a tiny peak at whatever it was. When he saw it he gasped in surprise and disappointment at himself. He turned back to Aradel who had gotten herself up and coordinated.  
  
"Let's go." He said simply, and started walking back out and in the general direction of Rivendell. With a smile and a backward glance Aradel followed. That glance was directed at the bush where behind it a small bird, a robin, lay impaled by two arrows. One blue and one green.  
  
The End  
  
A/N: Well that was completely and utterly pointless (if you didn't read the summary, which you should have). There's a little joke in there, hidden somewhere. When Legolas said. "If i was your mother..." that not an inside joke exactly but only certain people will no what it means. It's a song by Bon Jovi, and i did the same thing to my friend and i started laughing histerically and she didn't get it. Just a little point of interest. Sorry i haven't updated, school and all, give me ideas. Nehoo, bye-bye!:D  
  
kougayurizoku: Thanks! I don't have time for long responses right now but i am definatly going to continue the series. If i didn't what would my life revolve around?  
  
Sapphire Dragon: Wow thanks, I love the word magnificent! Don't ask why i just do. 


	11. Final Confrontation

Disclaimer: Disclaimer is not available at the moment, please read the message at the first chapter at the beep. Beep!   
Setting: Sometime not to shortly or longly (im so sure that's a word) after the last chapter. More towards the 'longly' side though.   
Summary: Aradel is going to see her dear old dad one last time. Will something go terribly terribly wrong? Or will everything go exactly as planned? Find out on this weeks chapter of...The Series.

Final Confrontation

"Are you sure about this? You know he would kill you if you cause to much trouble." Legolas cast a cautious glance beside him to Aradel, two hands on the straps of her backpack.

"If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, yes." She replied wearily. "It's just for closure, that's all. So I know he hasn't won."

They were walking through the forest in the dead of night, in the silence, in the dark. The moon cast ominous shadows over them as they headed towards the heart of Lorien through the chilled air. Legolas could scarcely see Aradel's silhouette in such dark because of her habitually dark clothing but she could see him almost perfectly because the angle of the light made his pale skin glow like the moon it came from.

"Though he is your father, I doubt he will show any form mercy at your expense. I've seen what he can do to you and you to him. This can result in nothing but pain." He commented, more to himself than her, for she was barely listening.

"Pain is apart of life, Legolas, you must understand that. I'm going to do this without your help or not. All I'm going to do is ask him why he wants me alive. It doesn't make sense since he's tried to kill me so many times." She pondered thoughtfully.

"True but this kind of pain is completely unnecessary. Not only will seeing him bring up all sorts of emotional conflict but knowing him, through your words only of course, he will most likely either put you through terrible torture or death. I'm just worried for your safety." He said nonchalantly.

"I'm very sure you are, and I appreciate the thought but I'm still doing it. And if he kills me than bury my twisted, mangled corpse in Mirkwood. I think it would be best don't you?" she inclined her head pointedly in his direction and grinned when he squinted to see what she was doing through the veil of black night.

He was about reply but didn't and instead turned his gaze to the forest floor in concentrated thought. "I wonder how different you would be if he had been a good father. If he had loved you…like you deserved."

The smile faded from her face and she too turned to look at the ground.

"You don't know how many times I've asked myself that. I would no doubt be very different. He would have sailed across the sea with Gala-Nanneth and I would be queen of Lorien, I suppose. And I wouldn't have met you."

Simultaneously they looked up and locked eyes. Deep brown to bright blue, Mirkwood to Lorien, into each other's souls. "Of course I'd also be ten times more boring than I am."

They laughed as they came into the light of the city and the glory of the largest tree, in the center looking down at them. Legolas was worried and visibly so. His face painted an extravagant picture of anxiety and extreme discomfort.

Aradel's face however was aglow with the excitement of a challenge. And that challenge was making out of Lorien alive and free. "Well let's go then."

She continued walking briskly towards the huge talan she used to call home so many years ago, to confront the man who ended it all. A wind picked up and rustled her chocolate brown hair, now reaching only to her shoulders as she had cut in before they had head out to Lorien.

"I do not think this is a good idea. If you want my opinion-"

"Well it's a good thing I don't want your opinion on this particular matter than isn't it?" she interrupted him before he could finish, knowing what he was going to say.

"Fine." He pouted needlessly melodramatically, seeing as she couldn't see him and if she could she wouldn't be paying attention.

So the trudged to the heart of the city and soon found themselves at the large doors separating the main hall of the Lord's talan from the outside world. Word around town was that he had shut himself away, never came out, never seen, never heard. They only knew he existed by word from his closest servants and maids. No one knew fully why he stayed inside so much, why he kept all the windows closed and barricaded, or why no food other than bread and water were sent to the magnificent house that had become his prison.

Maybe Aradel would find out as she was let in by the guards, recognized by the older soldiers as their princess (not quite beloved) who had run away so many years ago. She nodded politely and flashed them a quick smile as she passed and Legolas raised an apprehensive eyebrow. He was used to her being treated as a drifter, lower than most of the simple farmers that worked the earth for small towns. He chuckled lowly, to himself as they ascended the white stairs.

"What's so funny?" she asked over her shoulder as they reached the top.

"I'm not used to this." A questioning silence pursued him to elaborate. "You being treated like a person of royalty. I could never picture you wearing those long white dresses and tiara with your hands folded neatly in front of you while your parents greet newcomers or someone of like."

She laughed briskly. "I was never like that. I was forced to wear dressed and such but I was never one to act like the perfect little princess. In fact most of my so called friends, who happened to be the only people I ever talked to, said I was to grow up to be a human man."

It was his turn to laugh and he did so with great gusto. "That I can imagine." They turned a corner and he almost ran into her as she had stopped right outside of a large mahogany door. She sent a brief glance his way and shook her head in mock disappointment at his lack of grace as he took a stumbling step back.

"Is this his study?" she nodded and reached for the handle. "Shouldn't you knock first."

She sighed and turned to him. "First of all even when I was on good terms with him Valar knows how long ago I scarcely knocked. Second of all; do you really think he wants to see anyone if he's locked himself in here for years and me of all people? Come on Legolas, use your head." She lightly tapped him on his pretty blonde head.

"Fine. Good luck. If you die I'm taking your archery stuff." He said before she opened the doors and gingerly stepped in.

It was pitch black, there were no windows in the room and not a candle was lit. She stood a moment, at the door to let her eyes adjust so she could see a faint outline of the various furniture. Relying on that and previous knowledge from times as a child in here looking for her Ada she made her way to the large desk at the end of the room.

Aradel stubbed her tow on the way but resisted the urge to curse very loudly as to not disturb anyone in the room. At the desk was a figure, slumped over raising and lowering in a gentle rhythm that told her that whoever it was, and she had a pretty good idea, was asleep.

"No way did I come this far only to see you sleeping. Wake up." She whispered forcefully as she gently prodded him in the cheek. He didn't react so she poked a little harder.

He jerked violently to his feet, knocking the chair sideways out of vision into the darkness. His eyes slowly adjusting he saw her outline.

"Galadriel?" he whispered softly reaching out hand to touch her face. A small, sharp intake of breath and slight recoil was her immediate reaction. To many times he had touched her face and gotten away with it for her not to react in such a way.

She took a step back and he tried to approach her again but stumbled over a chair. He would have fallen to the floor had not a hand been grasped around his arm to keep him from doing so. "I am not your wife Celeborn." She said.

"Who are you then, I do not recognize your voice nor your silhouette.

"Maybe you should think a little harder. Daddy." She added a scornful emphasis on the last word. It felt foreign and wrong in her mouth.

"You." He growled and aggressively pulled his arm away from her clasp.

"Calm yourself. You have not the strength nor the will to fight me." She assured. "Of course I come here with intentions to speak with you not with intentions of physical violence. Psychological on the other hand…"

"What could you possibly want to speak with me about?"

"Why do you not wish me dead. The way you treat me no one doubts that you want me dead and yet you stopped the knife."

"You stopped that knife on your will."

"Only upon your wish would I have stopped it and I knew you would, but not why."

"To tell the truth I don't know." She watched as he sat down on the chair by his desk with a sigh. "Instinct."

"Excuse me?"

"Your Nanneth always used to tell me that the only reason I didn't kill you was because of my 'maternal instinct' I used to tell her my daughter was dead, I have no maternal instinct. I was wrong."

She sat down opposite him, feeling her way down into the soft padded chair. "Come now Celeborn don't tell me we are now repenting for our wrong deeds. Surely a lord such as yourself mustn't show weakness in front of lowly peasant such as myself. Now if you'll excuse me I am going to try and leave with minimal amounts of maiming and minimum amounts of dying."

"Why must you continue to insult me with your dry sarcasm, Aradel. We are not children any more."

"You hate me, Celeborn, do you not?" she leant over so her face was inches away from his.

"I do." He said with a small nod. "Why did you come here?"

"That's just another thing to add to the list then. I came here for an answer as to why I am still alive. I got that answer. I need nothing more from you." She stood and started to feel her way back to the door. Behind her the chair scraped as the Lord stood.

"You do not want to know what would have happened if Celebrian hadn't died? You don't want to ask me if keep this up because I still hate your or because I am keeping up appearances for my reputation? You cannot tell me you don't want to know if I still have the things from your room that I took before I locked you in."

She stopped in her tracks at the door. Did he really or was it just a cruel joke designed to make her beg? "If I cannot tell you so than I can tell you this. None of it matters anymore Celeborn. All that matters is what you did, not why, not how. The fact that you did it tells me more than enough."

With that she opened the door sending a small ray of light over the gray room and was taken just as quickly with a sharp slam. Outside Legolas was waiting patiently. "How was it? Are we running for our lives?"

"I should think not. He'll be in his room with no contact to the outside world for a long, long time." She replied walking briskly down the stairs and out the front doors.

"Just how long will the people of Lorien have to live without a Lord? I'm sure you know or could approximate."

"He's been in there for about a year now so another ninety nine years should do it. Then he can die in peace." She replied.

"Why must he spend one hundred years locked in his study to die in peace? This makes no sense."

"Let's just say I know what he's going through. A hundred years in a blank white room is hell for me but for everyone else their fear is a hundred years in a room consumed by darkness. He'll be fine when he gets out though."

"How do you know?"

"I'm fine aren't I?" she grinned back at him as they walked out into the forest.

The End

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for ever but i've been so busy trying to keep up at school and trying to keep up with my friends and not have them thinking im some sort of computer geek hermit crap. This is the result of lack of ideas, i'm sorry for any plot holes or inaccuracies but ... well i dont have an excuse so just yell at me and get it over with. As for reviewer responses, here they are! Nehoo, bye-bye!:D

kougayurizoku: Hi again! Glad you liked it! :D


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